His Favorite Mistake (Baby Its Cold Out) (18 page)

             
"Come on love, why don't you get dressed while I make us breakfast. I was thinking that maybe later today we could drive out to the country and see if we can pick out the perfect Christmas tree ever. What do you think?"

             
Twenty minutes later, when Reyna walked into the kitchen she had her emotions very firmly under control. She had taken longer than normal to dress but she couldn't' stop the tears. She couldn't dispel the sense that her time together with him was ending. It was there in a certain look in his eyes that warned her not to become attached to him and she wasn't sure just how long she could keep her love a secret from him. She was with him now and that should be enough no one was guaranteed the future but she couldn't control the sadness that took control of her.

             
Reyna smiled at him brightly feeling as if her smile were frozen in place on her face and she saw the way his eyes narrowed as he watched her but he didn't press her. They sat quietly talking over insignificant things as if neither of them wanted to put to words the indescribable strain that was there between them.

Chapter Sixteen

Long after Reyna hung up the phone, her cousin's words were still ringing agonizingly in her ear. She's heard Jenna's words that she never wanted to hear but had known that they would come she had prepared herself to hear them some day and yet now it felt as if each of them struck her like a slap in the face none the less. Jenna had practically exuded pleasure when she told her that she and Brody had not only had dinner that night but that he had come home with her and she had all but told her every step of their sexual encounter. It was all Reyna could do not to slam the phone receiver down and break right down and cry.

              She was finishing the presentation that Brody along with two other team members would be going over tonight in preparation for their trip to London the following week marking her first trip abroad with Brody as his assistant. Reyna would just have time to save the document before the meeting that would be beginning in the conference room any moment now.

             
She glanced up now Parker Martin and Teddy Vasquez walked passed her smiling before she quickly averted her eyes down to her laptop screen faking concentration. "The boss got you hard at work Reyna?” Teddy Vasquez smiled at her admiringly. At twenty-five Teddy was one of the youngest executives on staff at Samuels Advertising. He was young blond and ruggedly handsome and he made it clear to Reyna in everything that he did that he was very much attracted to her. So far, it hadn't gone beyond stopping by her desk to chat or a passing word to her in the hallways and there was the one time at a particular busy meeting when he had brought her coffee. She didn't want to encourage him in any way but there was no way she could tell him about her relationship with his boss. She wasn't sure that she herself knew what their relationship was enough to put into words. 

             
Reyna had told Brody that she didn't think it would be wise of them to let anyone know of their involvement beyond work. Now, she wondered how exactly she was going to have to deal with this problem of Teddy's growing attraction to her and although she appreciated his kindness, she hoped that she would never have to hurt him.

             
Reyna closed her eyes steeling her emotions firmly behind the mask of her smile. "Just finishing up the charts for today's meeting that's all. Are you ready for the trip to London?"

             
She ignored the way his eyes slid over her appreciatively as she began the task of disconnecting the laptop to take it with her into the conference room. "I can't wait. It should definitely be fun. I hope we have time to do some sightseeing outside of the business.” He didn't come right out and ask her but she knew that it was only a matter of time before he invited her out on a date possibly during the upcoming trip and she resisted the urge to close her eyes in frustration.

             
Reyna was trying to think of some plausible excuse as to why she wouldn't be able to go out with him seeing that he was watching her smiling waiting for her response.

             
Neither of them heard the connecting door open until the sharp sound of Brody's voice startled them both into turning surprisingly guilty eyes to him. "Teddy, if you're done flirting with my secretary I would like a word with you before the meeting. I'm sure Reyna has something she should be doing at this time as well.” There was no denying the biting tone in his voice or the sarcasm as he slammed the connecting door.

             
Reyna looked at the young man who stood near her a flush of embarrassment running up his face. "You'd better go Teddy, it sounds important, and I need to get the presentation set up anyway.” She turned on her heel and left. She didn’t understand why Brody was so angry with her. 

             
Reyna pushed aside the sadness that seem to follow her each day and bit down hard into her bottom lip killing the tears that were so close to spilling over. She couldn't cry now, not in front of Parker who had seated himself in the conference room ignoring the angry way his boss had no doubt surprised him by addressing his assistant. Brody never lost his temper for any reason but lately the least little thing was setting him off.

             
Reyna didn't even look at Brody as he entered the room fifteen minutes later with a sullen looking Teddy close beside him. The London client execs where joining them later for a conference call after the presentation was reviewed in detail where they would finalize the meeting's time and place as well as attendees. It had been arranged for days now and Reyna found herself dreading having to make the call to the team to tell them they would be running late.

             
She threw an angry look at Brody when he all but ordered her to bring him coffee but if he noticed her anger at all he didn't acknowledge it as he began to take the team through each of the slide presentation in detail.

             
Her hands shook as she poured the coffee and she spilled half of it on her hand burning it, a bright angry red mark spreading rapidly across her fingers. Reyna threw the coffee into the sink and swore softly.

             
"Reyna, damn it where are you? I need you in here now to take notes. I only asked for one cup of coffee, for God sake?” He took the cup from her angrily turning her to face him immediately seeing her pain. "Why are you crying? What is it, love?” When she couldn't look at him couldn't speak he took her by her arms shaking her. "Tell me Reyna. Surely, it’s not because of what I said to you just now. Reyna, you know the importance of this meeting. I'm sorry that I snapped at you just now but you know we've been under a lot of pressure with this client.”

             
She pulled free of him turning away she didn't want him to look too closely to see too much. "I'm fine. It's nothing that's all."

             
She heard him swear softly under his breath as he sat the cup down taking hold of her and turning her once more to face him. "That's a lie. I know you better than that. What is it? Has something happened to upset you?"

             
She struggled to free herself of his touch and he released her reluctantly. "I told you it’s nothing. I, I just spilt some coffee on my hand. I'm fine."

             
"Let me see.” He reached for the hand she was holding close to her body but she moved away from him not seeing the hurt in his eyes at her denial.                            

             
"It’s fine, really Brody. I'll be right there I just want to call the London team and let them know we are running a little late.” She walked away from him leaving him standing staring after her and she couldn't bring herself to look up as he walked past her to return to the meeting. 

             
When Reyna slipped silently, back into the room she could feel the tension of the meeting and knew that it had little to do with the presentation they were poring over. The angry demeanor of the man in charge had put everyone in the room at odds. Teddy Vasquez didn't even acknowledge her when she entered the room his silent sullen face turned toward the screen.

             
Reyna glanced nervously at her watch, as the meeting drug on the issue was with one of the final charts' wording something was not quite right about it. She looked up from where she had been contemplating her watch to see three set of eyes focused on her. "Reyna…” She took one look at Brody's face and could tell that he had been trying to get her attention for quite some time and it was obvious that he was controlling his anger with difficulty repeating slowly for God only knew how many times his question to her. "Reyna, where is the original documents that you created these charts from? I need to see exactly how this piece of information was worded from Parker's notes of the previous meeting with the client."

             
Reyna froze, desperately trying to remember. She had put it with the rest of the papers that lay in front of him surely. Wasn't that what she always did before these meetings? "It’s … it’s right there Brody.” She slipped up and addressed him informally. She never referred to him as anything but Mr. Samuels at work. "It should be there with the other papers that I gave you.” She trembled from the strain of trying to hold her emotions intact. Her nerves were on edge and she knew that she was far too close to losing control to think clearly.

             
She saw the way his eyes narrowed with anger and speculation as they ran over her he knew exactly how close she was to losing control as well. "Reyna, if it were here than I wouldn't be asking you for it. I need the chart so that we can finish up here."

             
At the hardness in his tone, she lost it. Her eyes filled with tears and she stood letting out a ragged breath her chair scraping back against the carpet as she stumbled over it backing away from him. Her voice little more than a whisper. "I don't know where it is, I…"

             
She heard him let out a sound that sounded half-angry half tortured his eyes never leaving hers as they pinned her there against the wall and then he stood facing her across the conference room table. "Gentlemen, this meeting is over. Will you excuse us please? Parker why don't you call the client now, apologize for our running late, and get the details of the meeting. We'll go over the charts in the morning at nine. I'll see you both then.” She heard the sharp sound of two sets of chairs scraping back against the floor the sound of two sets of footsteps quickly retreating and she could tell that they were as anxious to leave the tension in the conference room as she was.

             
His eyes never left hers as he closed the conference room door and walked around the table to her. She could see as he came close to her that the anger was gone from his brilliant blue eyes replaced by an emotion that was far more dangerous than his anger had been. "Brody.” His name was torn from her sounding every bit the desperate invitation that she didn't want it too. She closed her eyes when he reached her standing inches away and she could hear his own ragged breathing matching hers. "Brody, you shouldn't have sent them away like that?"

             
"Really? Why is that Reyna? What's going on between you and Teddy Vasquez? Whatever it is he's off the team as of right now."

             
"No. Brody, there's nothing going on between us. How can you even ask me that?” She stepped away from him.

             
"Really?” he said again not bothering to hide his sarcasm or doubt of her at her answer. "Well it’s not because he's not trying is it. Don't bother denying it I've seen the way he's always hanging around you the way he looks at you. He's off the team Reyna, I've told him so and that means he's off the London trip as well. Ryan Lancaster will be taking his place from now on."

             
"Brody that's crazy he's harmless. He's just got an innocent crush on me that's all."

             
He made a sound that condemned her defense of Teddy Vasquez. "He's off the team Reyna and that's final.”         

             
"He'll think that were involved with each other."

             
He reached for her and brought her up hard against his taut body. "Do you think that I give a damn about that? Do you think for one moment that it matters to me who knows we are involved?” He searched her face urgency in his blue eyes.

             
"But Brody if Teddy knows then everyone in the office will know as well that, that we're involved."

             
"Reyna…” His voice caught shifting from anger to an exasperated laughter. "We share a house, we share a bed, we share our bodies what do you think we're doing here? What's wrong baby? Tell me what it is that's hurting you?” The laughter left him as quickly as it had come. He watched her far too closely willing her to tell him the truth and she wanted more than anything else on earth at that moment to tell him about Jenna's accusations to hear him deny every word but she couldn't find the strength to put the words to voice,  she didn't know if she truly wanted to know the truth.