Maggie May (Conner West Book 1) Read online

  Maggie May

  Conner West Series, #1

  River Van Zandt

  Maggie May

  Text Copyright © 2014 River Van Zandt

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be transmitted in any form without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, or any events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author's imagination.

  One

  The office was quiet, which was nice for a change. I relished in it as I leaned back in my chair. It had been a long few days in the office with all the rushing around to land a big account. Normally I don’t get involved in things like this, but this time was different. I wanted to land this account, as it would take my company to an international level. We were on the verge of becoming the next big company. We just had to break through this account. I looked at my computer. West Security’s logo was shining bright against the black background.

  “Mr. West?” a voice filtered through the office.

  “I told you before, Maggie, call me Conner,” I sat up as she approached my desk. I stared at her petite figure getting closer to me. Maggie blushed and gazed down as she caught my stare. “Conner, its well past six now. Mind if I take off for the day? I just finished confirming your dinner plans for tomorrow’s event.”

  “Yes, go home. Make yourself a bubble bath and relax. You earned it after these last few days,” I smiled. Her face flushed once more. Maggie was a sweet girl, and if I were any other man, I would make a move for her, but I don’t do sweet girls. Sweet girls have a hard time when you don’t call them after one of the best nights of their life. I would break her and I couldn’t do that to her as much as I wanted her. I had a feeling she wanted more from me as well, but being my assistant could also make everything messy if it fell apart.

  “Conner?”

  “Is there something else I could help you with?” I stared into her eyes. She seemed to lose her train of thought then shook her head.

  “Never mind, we can talk about it later,” she quickly turned and rushed out of the office. I wanted to run after her, pin her against a wall as I have my way with her, but that would make everything so complicated. I was her boss and I could be slapped with a sexual harassment suit, not that it has stopped me before, but the previous assistants had pursued me, but not Miss May. No, she was the first in a long run of assistants who hadn’t made a run at me, which make me want her even more. Maggie had been here almost a year now and has the best damn assistant anyone could ask for.

  “Have a good night Maggie,” I called after her. Her only response was the clicking of her heels heading towards the elevator.

  I turned back towards the logo printed on the screen. It was after hours, she should be escorted to the parking garage. It’s company policy. I quickly stood up out of my chair, grabbed my jacket and headed after her even though my rational side said it was a bad idea.

  “Wait!” I screamed out as I saw her press the floor button on the inside of the elevator. She hit the button to keep the doors open.

  “Sorry, if I knew you were leaving, I would have just waited on you,” she looked up at me with that sweet smile again.

  “I just decided to leave as you were walking this way. It’s late enough and you needed a security escort anyway.”

  “I don’t need one, Mr. West.”

  “Conner, and yes you do,” I refuted.

  “I’m parked in the basement garage, just like you. Unless you have a security pass you can’t get in,” she rolled her eyes. I didn’t like her thinking so little about her safety. That’s the principle foundation of this company and I would not let anything happen on my property or to my employees.

  “Not a debate, whether you are in the executive garage or not, you are required to have an escort after hours.”

  “Some rules are made to be broken,” she muttered. She must have thought I couldn’t hear her.

  The elevator dinged announcing the arrival to the basement level. It led directly into the parking garage. Her car was a couple rows away from mine, which was right next to the elevator bank. We were the last two in the office apparently. The rest of the lot was empty. She stepped out and proceeded in the direction where she was parked. I came up beside her and continued walking with her.

  “This isn’t necessary Conner.”

  “It is. You never know what could happen. Safety is priority here.”

  She sighed and walked a little faster. I kept her pace easily. She unlocked her car when we were only a few feet away. I skipped ahead a few paces and opened her car door. I met her stare as she glared. Gone was that sweet girl I knew and in her place, one little rebel who seemed to challenge me with her icy stare.

  “I’m a big girl, I can’t take care of myself,” she climbed into her car and yanked the door from my grip. Now I know there is something more to her, a feisty side, a bold side. Maybe I misjudged her for being the sweet girl next-door type.

  I tapped on Maggie’s window. She glared as she rolled it down. “Yes, Mr. West?”

  I knew she called me that to push my buttons. I leaned into her window to where we were eye-to-eye with each other. I stared at her, searching her to see who she really was. I saw her breathing pick up slightly, her eyes searching my own as well. Her eye twitched as she stared at me. It turned into a scowl as if she were daring me to say something else about her not being safe. I knew in that moment, she could hold her own and she was hell-bent on proving it. I smiled, “Stay safe. Have a pleasant evening Miss May.” I stood up and walked away. The bewildered look on her face made me smile as I headed towards my own car.

  It didn’t take me long to get home. Walking through the door, Maggie was still on my mind. Loosening my tie, I imagined what would happen if I decided to pursue her. She would most definitely end up in my penthouse, in my king size bed against the black satin sheets. I would slowly strip her body of any clothing she had on. I wonder how her skin would feel against mine, her breath against my neck as I trail kisses down hers. I bet she would taste exquisite. I exhaled just thinking about her lying under me, her big brown eyes staring up at me, drinking me in, wanting every inch of me against her. A shiver went down my spine just thinking about it.

  I looked around the lonely space I found myself in. I could barely call it a home. It was designed by a third party, no personal touches of my own, except my bedroom. That was my playground. Heading towards the kitchen I kept imagining her in various places in the house. What surfaces would we christen? I smiled knowing it would be every place I could set her on.

  The growling coming from my stomach quickly redirected my thoughts as I started walked towards the pantry in the cozy kitchen. Would she cook for me after a long day or would she let me spoil her afterwards? Fuck, I knew I was in trouble. Whatever I saw tonight in her tonight, it changed the game. Maggie May challenged the ever-powerful Conner West. Well, challenge accepted Miss May. Challenge. Accepted.

  Two

  I sat in the boardroom waiting for Maggie to show up with the proposals. I had been sitting here for about fifteen minutes. I’m never early but this meeting was a big deal. I was hoping she would already be here, the room set up. We had twenty minutes before the meeting started, probably ten minutes before the reps would show. I am beyond pissed that today would the day she was running late. A commotion at the door of the conference room brought my attention to the person barging in the room.

  “Sorry Mr. West,” Maggie said as she quickly laid things down on the table.

&nbs
p; “You’re late.”

  “I know, the copier broke and I had to run a couple floors down to get these done.” She began to lay out the proposal information in front of each seat. She was frazzled. I could tell by the way she moved around the conference room. She was racing around making sure everyone had a copy of what they needed. She danced around me as I sat there watching her. The last thing she did was set a coffee in front of me.

  “Thank you,” I said looking up to her. A calm seemed to have washed over her.

  “Sorry about being late. I know how much you hate it,” she quietly apologized. She brushed her hand across the back of my shoulder as she sat down in the chair next to me. She crossed her legs and the top of he stocking quickly came into view. I held my breath. She quickly adjusted her skirt. I released the air that I was holding in then took a drink of my coffee as a few reps came walking into the boardroom.

  I stood quickly and greeted each of them, but my mind was on the woman beside me. The flash of leg sent my mind reeling once more. If it weren’t for this meeting, I may have dragged her into my office, locked the door and had my way with her.

  The meeting lasted longer than I wanted it to. This was the account that was going to take us to the international level. You would think that it would be the only thing on my mind, but having Miss May next to me. Simply sitting there, each adjustment in her chair that made her stockings show the intricate lace design at the top. Every once in awhile why she was thinking, I saw her pen sit between her lips that I wanted to capture with my own. I saw the way she looked at them. The way she leaned in. So attentive, it drove me nuts. Her hair was pinned back today, some of her hair falling around her shoulders. I wanted to unclip it from those tiny black lines holding it in place. I wanted to bend her over on the table. I would run my hand through her hair, grasping it as I pulled her head up as I fucked her into next week. I would fuck her to the point that her body would be craving mine.

  “Mr. West?”

  I looked up at the rep realizing I had not heard a damn thing they were talking about. “Yes?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered. Mostly because I didn’t know what was just said. I couldn’t allow myself to agree to anything.

  “What if we got you in our other chain as well? Sweeten the deal?”

  I was intrigued by this offer. I wonder what I just may have missed to make them offer me another chain as well in the deal. “Send me the paperwork to think over with all your final details.”

  They leaned back smiling. This merger with the resort chain was a must. Not only would it send my company international, it would make me a lot more money. They finished up with some small talk about the dinner event tonight then stood and said their farewells. I looked over at Maggie who had the biggest smile on her face.

  “I can’t believe we closed that deal!” Her excitement was palpable. She knew how big this was for the company. I should be just as excited but I only had one thing in mind.

  “Were you worried?” I asked her.

  “Yes,” she answered as she gathered up her notes.

  I chuckled. I was worried but I would never let that show. I knew I had them in the palm of my hand when they offered the second chain to secure for them. I built this company up to have a certain reputation. There was a reason companies were coming to us, reasons why our name is spreading. I worked hard and now I’m finally reaping the rewards. I only had one small worry that they were looking at a company that was already international, but looking back now I had nothing to fear. I calculated each move and counter-move last night, which is why I stayed late. In the end, we won and I didn’t have to do a damn thing but think of the woman next to me. I’m sure I looked disinterested in what they were saying, which may have had them worried. I looked back over to Miss May. She was gathering her things. “Want to go to lunch to celebrate?”

  She looked over at me smiling, “Of course, every victory deserves a celebration and we worked our asses off for this one.” She quickly covered her mouth. What for? Probably because that was the first time she cursed in front of me. Somehow after our little encounter in the parking lot last night, I knew she had a dirty mouth. I knew that she had a whole other side to her that probably many people at the office didn’t know about. I was bound to find out who she really was.

  “Language Miss May…language.” I warned her.

  “My apologies,” she quickly turned and headed out. “I’ll get a reservation at the restaurant.”

  She knew exactly where we would be going, I had no doubt. The swanky seafood restaurant on L Street was my favorite place to eat. The stuffed halibut, scallops, salmon, everything was delectable.

  #

  I opened the door and gestured for Maggie to go ahead. As she passed me, I placed my hand in the small of her back as I followed her in. I kept it there as we continued to the hostess. I smiled at the hostess as I told her the reservation name. After quickly looking on her screen she smiled and grabbed two menus, “Right this way Mr. West.”

  I again gestured for Maggie to go ahead of me. This time I just followed behind her. I watched her as she weaved through the other patrons sitting at their tables. I wondered if she were as nimble on her back as she was moving through this crowd. We arrived at our table and we both took our jackets off. The days were getting cooler and I knew soon, the winter weather would be arriving followed by the darker days.

  “Your server will be with you shortly,” the hostess left us with our menus.

  I didn’t even need to look at mine but I watched Maggie intently study hers. Her eyes roamed the menu and she didn’t even notice my stare. The menu was one-sided but she flipped it to make sure there was nothing on the back. She set it down on the table but her gaze never left it. She slightly bent forward to continue reading it and I noticed her blouse moved with her, giving a slight opening. I quietly sucked in air, holding it in my lungs. The swell of her breasts was slightly visible. The top button her blouse had been undone and I hadn’t even noticed earlier. Her gaze lifted to mine and I diverted my eyes to her chocolatey brown ones. I noticed the corner of her mouth lift and I knew she caught me. She sat up straighter and she cleared her throat.

  “Decide on anything?” I asked, breaking our staring contest.

  “Looks like you have,” she smiled. I wasn’t sure if there was a double entendre hidden there but I had decided.

  “I’ll get my usual,” I said giving her no hint of whether she was right or not. It was that moment when our server decided to make her appearance.

  “Good afternoon Mr. West,” Emily greeted. I come here often enough for lunches that I knew part of the wait staff.

  “Hello Emily. How are you today?”

  “I’m well, thanks. What can I get you two to drink,” she looked at me then back over at Maggie.

  “I’ll have a water,” Maggie quietly replied. Emily smiled then turned her attention back to me.

  “Tea for you Mr. West?”

  “Yes, please,” I returned her smile.

  “Do you two know what you want to order or do you need a few more minutes?”

  “I’m ready,” Maggie looked over to me.

  “I as well. Go ahead Miss May.”

  She looked at me for a moment before she put her salad order in. I never took her to be a salad girl. My bet is she would only eat half of it then say she was full even if she was still starving.

  “I’ll have the turkey club today.”

  “Fries okay?”

  “Sweet potato fries please,” I answered.

  “Alright, I get this in and bring out your drinks.” She turned and left and I stared back at Maggie.

  “So we got the deal,” she started.

  “Not yet. I have to finalize the paperwork, but we will,” I smirked. I saw her suck in air and hold it while I flashed my playboy grin.

  “So what are we celebrating today then if it’s not finalized,” she breathed. She folded her hands in her
lap and sat back.

  “Conquests.”

  She stared at me, shifting in her seat. “You conquer all. There ’s no question about it.”

  I lifted the corner of my mouth into a smirk, “That I do.”

  “So this means we are going international. What does that mean for you?”

  “A lot of business trips. I would want to make sure that these properties are up to standards.”

  “That sounds like a daunting task if you have two chains in this deal. From what I researched, that would be close to 4200 locations outside the US.”

  “I’d put a team together. Go to the major sites myself.”

  She nodded in agreement. It was true. With all the new locations, each one would have to be visited and a plan put in place to make sure West Security’s reputation was upheld. Life was about to get busy, which reminded me again why I didn’t do relationships. They were messy and the women always clingy when they couldn’t see you for days at a time. I had a hunch that the woman sitting before me wasn’t like that.

  Emily came and dropped food off as we fell into silence. I wondered what Maggie was thinking about. She grabbed her napkin and placed it in her lap as she poured her dressing over her salad. I started in on my turkey club. We ate with minimal conversation. It wasn’t anything too personal, just idle chitchat. I paid for our meals as she sat back and rubbed her stomach. Much to my surprise she finished her salad.

  We walked back to the office slowly and silently. My hand was in the small of her back the entire time. The need to protect her in downtown was there, especially when we passed the transient station. A lot of homeless people hung out there and lately, some of them have been a little hostile. I felt Maggie brush against me as we were walking along. She stayed a bit closer until we arrived back at the office. Heading into the elevator, we headed to the top floor. The entire floor was a lobby area and then my office and a vacant office for my right-hand man, whom I haven’t found or needed yet. That office would probably be filled soon with this merger I was closing in on.