"Both. Kneeling in front of a toilet with a scrub brush is hot, too." She slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him from behind.
"What about kneeling in front of the pot tossing his cookies?"
"No. Definitely not s.e.xy." Laughing, she stood on her toes to kiss his shoulder and then turned to grab silverware for the table.
Marc had dinner ready and on the table a few minutes later. Mandy grabbed the last of the sliced melon out of the refrigerator and took her seat across from him. She watched as he put his napkin in his lap and then sat and stared at his plate.
"You look exhausted," she said. Reaching across the table, she wrapped her fingers around his hand.
Marc nodded. "I am. Physically and emotionally. I don"t get the physical exhaustion. Emotional makes sense. Today was absolutely intense and I"m still getting hit with fragments of memories, things that have been totally hidden, wherever those sort of memories go to hide." He smiled, but while his lips tilted in the required direction, there was no laughter in his eyes.
"So does the physical exhaustion." When Marc c.o.c.ked an eyebrow, she laughed. "s.e.x, Marc. We both burned a lot of calories last night. Good s.e.x is hard work." She pouted. "How quickly he forgets. No wonder you can"t retrieve your memories. We had absolutely exquisite s.e.x just hours ago, and you can"t remember?"
This time the smile hit his eyes. "Oh, I remember it. I just don"t recall it being work. Not work at all."
They ate and cleaned up the kitchen. Marc called Theo Hadley, his business manager, and told him he might be late coming into the office Monday morning. Mandy heard Marc"s end of the conversation as she headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.
Marc was in the middle of another phone call when she got out. She kissed his cheek, whispered, "I"m going to bed," and went back toward the bathroom. She took a quick detour into Ben"s room and grabbed some more condoms.
Just in case. Then she went into Marc"s room and crawled into bed. Knowing Marc, he"d feel so guilty about the broken condom that he wouldn"t want to sleep with her tonight.
That wasn"t going to happen. Pulling the covers over herself, she punched her pillow a couple of times and then snuggled under the covers.
CHAPTER 5.
Marc ended the call to Ted Robinson, and sat back in his chair, wondering at what he"d just put in gear. Ted"s shock over Marc"s story had quickly given way to a list of questions that would allow him to start his search for information long before he made it out to San Francisco. Marc had asked Ted if he had any family-a wife or kids who"d be coming out. He"d said no, just him, and that he was looking forward to seeing everyone again.
And he fully intended to be here by the end of the month-just three weeks away. All he"d asked was that Marc find him a place to stay-preferably a furnished apartment somewhere that was priced within reason.
That was simple enough, especially if Ted was on his own. Marc had made an offer on the house he shared with Ben, Lola, and Mandy. He"d not talked it over with them in the beginning because he honestly didn"t know if the landlord was willing to sell or not, but the elderly man had been satisfied with the offer and the terms, and relieved not to have to deal with new renters. He"d told Marc he"d been planning to list the place since the long-time absentee renter in the second half of the unit had recently moved out of state.
Escrow was due to close in about a week. Marc planned to let everyone know what he"d done once it was signed and sealed. It was all good. He only hoped that they"d all be okay with the purchase. The second unit was a little smaller than the one he and the others lived in-two bedrooms rather than three-but he"d thought of offering that one to Kaz and Jake, which would free up Jake"s apartment for Ted.
They"d both said how much they wished they lived closer-the running joke was that they wanted in on meal times because Lola was such a good cook, but he knew it was more than that. This group of friends was closer than most families-they"d been tested in horrible situations and had come through stronger than ever. They needed each other-at least Marc freely admitted that he needed each of them-but it would be a lot of fun if Jake and Kaz were close enough to pop in on occasion, yet still had their own s.p.a.ce.
At least it all sounded good on paper. He wondered if Jake and Kaz were at their hotel in Italy. He had the number, but the least he should do was tell Mandy first. He wasn"t really used to considering anyone else when he made financial decisions. He"d always just gone ahead and done things on his own. Well, with Theo Hadley"s help. He trusted Theo"s business sense, and Theo had agreed that purchasing this duplex was an excellent decision. Still....
Having a family, formal or otherwise, changed the dynamic. But it must be in a good way, because just thinking of the way his own, small family had grown made him feel better. Relaxed, even. In spite of what he"d learned. In spite of what he hoped to find out.
All because he was no longer in this on his own.
Humor much improved, he went in and took a quick shower. Wrapped a towel around his waist, grabbed his clothes, and turned off the light. Then he stopped in front of Mandy"s door and wondered if he should join her. He stood there for a moment, considering, but he knew she was exhausted, and there was no way he"d be able to keep his hands off her.
It wasn"t easy, but he walked away and quietly opened the door to his own room. Luckily, light from the hallway slanted across the bed before he flipped on the bedroom light and woke her. Mandy was in his bed.
Not only was Mandy in his bed, there was a small pile of condoms on the bedside table.
Smiling, he set his clothes on the floor, dropped the towel, and crawled in beside her. Just holding Mandy was enough. She curled into his embrace with a soft sigh. The last thing he remembered was the scent of the shampoo she"d used, and the slight tickle of the damp strands of her silky hair against his chin.
The gray light of morning barely filtered through the closed window blinds when Mandy opened her eyes to the fact that she"d slept through the night without waking, that the hair on Marc"s chest was tickling her nose, and she really had to pee. Now.
Carefully she disentangled herself from his loose embrace and crawled out of bed. It was just a little after five, but she used the bathroom, washed her face and brushed her teeth, and then tried to work the tangles out of her hair.
She knew better than to go to sleep when it was still wet, but waking up in Marc"s arms trumped wrinkled hair any day of the week. She went straight to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. Then she turned and went back to Marc"s bedroom and slipped into bed with him.
He pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her hair.
"You through wandering the halls yet?"
"For now. I put the coffee on."
"Um."
"Real talkative guy in the morning, aren"t you? I didn"t mean to wake you."
"S"okay." He hauled her over on top of him until she was sprawled across his body like a rather lumpy blanket. "That"s better."
"I"m glad you think so. Are you going in to work today? I heard you talking to Theo."
He sighed and blinked slowly. "You"re not going to let me go back to sleep, are you?"
"Of course not. It"s after five. I"m usually up by four, and I went to bed before nine. This is when my day usually starts."
"Hmmm. I wish you"d mentioned that before crawling into my bed."
"You"re avoiding the question. Are you going in to the office?"
"Eventually. I need to hire a temp while Lola"s gone. Totally forgot to do it, and I told her not to, that I"d find someone. It sort of got away from me."
"I can do Lola"s job while she"s gone. It"s not like I have to be at the coffee shop."
He blinked. More than once. "You know office work?"
"Uh, yeah. I"ve worked in an office before. Besides, I have a business degree."
He frowned. She could almost see the wheels turning.
"Then why the dead-end job in a coffee shop?"
Shrugging, she smiled. "Because I like people? I love the work, and I always wanted my own coffee shop. As you can see, that hasn"t happened. Yet."
"Well, since you"re currently unemployed then yes, I would love for you to handle Lola"s work while she"s away. But only if you don"t call me Mr. Reed."
She kissed him. "Why not? Lola does."
"Yeah, well after the revelation yesterday, I don"t want the same name as my father. At least not from you."
"Oh, Marc." She kissed him again, and this time he kissed her back. "You"ve made that name your own. You are not your father. For one thing, I"d never be lying on his naked body, trying to figure out how to get him to screw me silly."
"You"ve got that right."
At least he was laughing when he rolled her over. And Mandy decided this was definitely how she wanted to start every single morning for the rest of her life.
First, though, she had to help Marc figure out the answers to the questions that had to be driving him absolutely crazy.
He"d been taking Lola into the office with him for the past couple of months, but it was a whole new feeling to have Mandy beside him in the front seat. Especially since they"d spent all morning making love. He"d never known anything as amazing as s.e.x with Mandy. She had no inhibitions and no problem telling him what she wanted him to do, but the best part of it all was the way she responded to everything he tried with her.
Marc figured he"d learned more about pleasing a woman in the past two days than he"d ever expected to learn, and it was all good. Better than good-it was absolutely amazing.
"So," she said, turning in the seat and studying him. "What kind of boss are you? Demanding? A pushover? Do you expect me to make coffee? Have s.e.x on the desk in the back office? I need to know my parameters, ya know? Limits? That sort of thing?"
"I have no idea how you managed to say that with a straight face." He glanced sideways and then returned his attention to the busy street in front of him. "s.e.x on the desk in the back office? I don"t have a back office. That"s Theo"s s.p.a.ce, and no, you are not having s.e.x with Theo. Besides, Theo"s gay. He wouldn"t be interested."
She snorted. He wasn"t sure if he"d ever heard Mandy snort, but he didn"t crack a smile, at least not until she rolled her eyes and calmly said, "Theo"s too old for me, besides the gay thing. I just don"t think he"s my type. Of course, he might be Lola"s, but I really think she"s hooked on Ben."
"There is that." He smiled her way. "It would be awesome if you made coffee, but that"s not part of the job. Mainly I want you to keep the bills and statements straight and make sure anything that"s due gets to Theo. I own a lot of different companies. Lola organizes the paperwork by business and Theo handles the payments. She also makes sure that all the legal stuff is up to date, but she"s got a handy calendar that will keep you organized. I don"t think there"s anything major due right now."
"Lola"s always very efficient."
"That she is." He stopped at a red light and had enough time to give Mandy what he hoped was a meaningful look. "But she"s not you. I don"t think there"s anyone like you."
He liked the fact she was still smiling when he pulled into the small garage that was part of his building.
Lola really did keep things organized. Mandy slipped into Lola"s chair and into her job without any trouble at all. It was actually sort of fun to be dressed in a cla.s.sy pantsuit, sitting at a desk instead of standing behind a counter, but she missed the people she saw at the coffee shop every day.
Theo was nice enough, but Marc had disappeared into his office as soon as they"d arrived, and he"d hardly come out. It was almost eleven before the door swung open and he stopped beside her desk. "I"ve got an appointment I need to go to. Totally forgot about it, but I should be back in time for lunch. There"s a really good restaurant not far from here where I"d like to take you. Okay?"
"Sure." She reached for a stack of invoices from Intimate Wines. "I"m just getting ready to go through these. That should take me close to an hour. I"ll see you when you get back."
"Theo"s here. He usually brings his lunch, so he"ll be in his office if you need anything."
"Go. I"ll be fine."
"Mandy?" He leaned close and kissed her. "Thank you for doing this. I really appreciate it, and I know Lola will, too. Otherwise she"d be coming home to a huge mess."
"Marc, you really do have to get over this issue you have with hiring people." She laughed and waved him off. "Now go!"
He saluted. "Yes, ma"am."
And then he was out the door. She spent the next half hour checking the invoices, figuring out what needed to be paid now and what could wait, and then packed everything up and took them into Theo"s office. She"d never met Marc"s business manager before this morning, but she liked the man. He was quiet and undemanding, but appeared to love his job. So, being Mandy, she asked him.
"You look like you really love what you"re doing. Do you? Or are you just a really good actor?"
He laughed and leaned back in his chair. "Marcus Reed is one of the best men I"ve ever met. Unfortunately he"s straight, or I would have pounced on him years ago, but he"s a fantastic guy to work for, and, I think, a good friend. And where do you fit in?"
"I"m Lola"s younger sister, and I told Marc I"d cover for her while she"s in Washington."
He nodded. "She told me a little bit about the deposition she and Ben have to give. He"s another good one, and so"s your sister. I think that"s part of Marc"s appeal. He seems to attract really terrific people. It"s hard not to admire that."
"I know. I need to get back to work, but I"m glad I finally got to meet you. I"ve heard about you from Lola."
"Ah, the crazy nerd in the back who"s glued to his computer?"
She laughed. "Actually, no. What I heard about was the s.e.xy Shemar Moore lookalike who runs the place and lets Marc think he"s in charge. Don"t underestimate yourself, Mr. Hadley."
They were both laughing when she left to go back to the front office, but a few moments later, Mandy heard the front door open. The man who walked in looked so much like Marc that she finally understood how his dreams could have confused him. Like Marc, but not. Where Marc was warm and loving, his father struck her as a man without a soul. There was something about him, a sense of cruelty and dissipation, depravity, even, that immediately made her nervous. She couldn"t help but wonder if she would have felt the same way if she hadn"t known Marc"s story.
The minute he opened his mouth, she knew she would have disliked him even without the backstory.
"Where"s Marc?"
Rude and demanding, his tone lacked any pretense of manners or cla.s.s. "Mr. Reed"s not here right now. He had an appointment."
The guy looked around and then glanced toward Marc"s office. The door was ajar. "I"ll just wait in his office."
"No, sir. You won"t. What can I help you with?"
"Look, missy. I"m Marc"s father and I have every right to be here." He started toward Marc"s office. "When"s he due back?"
"I really don"t know." She found the b.u.t.ton under the desktop, the one Marc had installed after all the problems they"d had with the senator"s wife and Marc"s last security chief. Giving it a quick press, she maintained focus on the senior Mr. Reed.
Mere seconds later, Theo wandered out into the front office, carrying a couple of folders. He stopped, blocking entrance to Marc"s private office. "Ah, Mr. Reed. Marc"s out for a couple of hours. I"m afraid you"ll have to come back later."
"I"ll wait for him."
Theo"s smile looked flat-out deadly. "I don"t think so. Mr. Reed gave me specific instructions that you were not to have access to his office or be allowed to intimidate his staff."
Mandy noticed how Reed"s hands clenched as he focused on Theo. Evidently Theo noticed the shift in stance as well.
He stood straight, made eye contact with Reed. "Now, I"m not the least bit intimidated by you, sir, and I won"t have you upsetting Ms. Monroe. She has work to do. Please leave. We"ll be sure and let Mr. Reed know you stopped by. He"ll call you if he feels a need to get in touch."
Theo merely stood there watching while Steven Reed glowered at the two of them before he turned away and stomped out the door. Mandy turned to Theo and held up her hand. He high fived her and they both laughed. "d.a.m.n," she said. "You"re good. And you look like such a mild sort."
"It"s the gla.s.ses," he said. "I think I"d wear them even if I didn"t need any. They make me look nerdy enough and intellectual enough that I don"t look like a guy that can kick a.s.s. But I can." He winked. "And I have. On more than one occasion."
"That"s good to know. I"m glad Marc has you here." She glanced at the closed door. "I"m really glad I have you here. His father scares the c.r.a.p out of me."