Maddy Collated: The Complete Trilogy by Ava Lore Read Free Book Online Page B

last night.
    Red-faced, Sam dove into the elevator and shut the doors. He didn't dare look at Chet again. He was afraid of what he would see there.
     
    *
     
    Maddy had been at her desk for literally five minutes avoiding the stares of everyone else in the office and trying to calm her racing heart when Sam Lake materialized next to her and said, “Lunch!” Which sent her heart skipping double-time again.
    “Jesus!” she said. “Don't sneak up on a girl like that.”
    “We agreed to lunch, and here I am.” He spread his arms wide, a huge smile on his face, as though he were genuinely delighted to see her. Chet's warnings came back to her mind.
    She glanced at the clock on her computer. “You... you know it's not lunch time, right?”
    “We can do some catching up before lunch,” he told her. “I want to discuss that memo you took yesterday.”
    Maddy stared at him, then at the pile of work on her desk. Then she stared at him again. It wasn't hard. He was a damn fine thing to stare at. Which was why she was about to say something that no doubt was going to have her kicking herself.
    “Don't you rich guys realize other people have actual work to do?” she said. She wasn't entirely certain Rick wouldn't dump at least one more project on her as punishment for leaving his stupid meeting. And then more projects for skipping out early for lunch. And then even more projects just because he was a small-minded prick, and then she would have to go on a shooting spree. And that would be bad, because then her prospects for getting another job would go down the toilet.
    It wasn't that getting courted by billionaires was unpleasant, but like her father had always said, best to go for the sure money first.
    ...Come to think of it, that was probably why they were the billionaires and not her.
    Thanks, dad.
    A look of confusion passed over his face, and it was almost endearing. “But I'm your boss,” he said. “I'm his boss. I can pull you away to discuss business whenever I want. That's the point of being the boss.”
    Maddy rather thought the point of being the boss was because it made you lots of money and you never had to get your own coffee, but she didn't say it out loud. What the hell did she know, anyway? “Okay,” she said, gathering her purse—again—and standing up. “It's only eleven in the morning or whatever, but sure, let's do lunch.”
    He smiled. “If it's too early for you, we could begin our discussion upstairs in my office. I believe I have something that belongs to you anyway.”
    Maddy swallowed and licked her lips. “Okay. Sure.”
    And back they went, through the maze of surreptitious eyes and hushed voices. Maddy tried her best to keep her head held high and act as though this were just another business meeting, but she knew what everyone was thinking: what sort of business would she have with the owners of the company?
    The sad thing was they would probably never guess that Sam or Chet wanted her sexually. Or if they did, it would be a joke.
    The thought hardened Maddy's resolve, and as they stepped into the elevator and the doors shut behind them, she turned to Sam.
    “So I'm guessing we're going up to your office to fuck?” she asked.
    Sam's eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment she was afraid she'd offended him. Her hatred of beating around the bush might backfire on her here. Which was ironic, because beating around the bush was exactly what she needed after Chet's bone-melting kiss. But then Sam smiled at her.
    “That's what I like about you, Maddy ,” he said. “You aren't afraid to tell me what you think of the situation. Even when you aren't temporarily fired.” He reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand. His palm sent a sweet warmth over her face and down her throat.
    “I don't remember getting hired back,” she said as gently he stroked the sensitive skin of her mouth with the pad of his thumb, robbing her of breath. Her eyelids fluttered, a bolt of heat striking