“I’m sure my mother would pick several out of the crowd and bring them in for a date with me,” he grimaced.
“I’m sure she would.” They were interrupted by the phone ringing. Tara picked it up and answered it professionally. After only a moment, she nodded and then hung up the phone. “You’re lunch meeting is waiting for you in the dining room.”
Max sighed and pushed away from the wall he’d been leaning against. Just once, he wished she’d slam down the phone after telling the caller that he was unavailable. But then, he also wanted to kiss her until she couldn’t answer the phone coherently. Since he didn’t dare do that for fear of offending her and risk losing her, he simply nodded. “I’ll be there shortly,” he said.
“Have fun,” she called out to his retreating back.
“Who is it with?” he asked.
She glanced down at her computer screen, still showing his calendar. “The Director of Security, Mike Daniels. You’re discussing security and environmental concerns over the proposed coastal highway.”
Max eyed her sharply. “You set this up, didn’t you?” he asked, knowing she had a soft spot for endangered species and pristine beaches.
Tara shook her head, but couldn’t hide her grin. “No, but I didn’t turn him down when he called to request the appointment,” she said cheekily. “At least it is over lunch and I made sure it was your favorite today,” she called.
Max raised his eyebrows hopefully. “Steak and a beer?”
“Liver and onions,” she called out as he stepped out of the office.
Max poked his head back in at her words, “You’re kidding, right?” he asked, genuinely worried.
“Would I tease you?” she asked, her face serious. “I thought you loved liver and onions.”
Max watched her for another long moment, not sure if she was kidding. He hated liver and onions but he’d have to eat it if that was being served. He couldn’t offend his guests by not eating whatever was served.
He left, considering the idea of stopping in the kitchen to make sure it wasn’t liver and onions but several people caught him along the way and he was running late. Max didn’t want to keep the director waiting.
Max let out a breath of anticipation when the lunch was served. Seafood salad and rice pilaf allowed him to concentrate on the minister’s words. But only to a point. He was slowly concocting ways to get back at his saucy secretary as soon as he got back to the office. He’d make her sit through the union meetings, he decided. That would be punishment enough for anyone, he smiled.
The security minister must have thought Max was agreeing with him because he launched into a more detailed discussion on other issues and Max groaned inwardly. Oh, yes. Tara was definitely going to pay for this one.
The meal finally ended and Max excused himself and headed back to his office. Upon entering, he saw Tara’s hands hesitate on the keys before she continued to type.
He walked up to her desk and leaned down so he was looking into her eyes. “You’re going to pay for that one. You understand that, don’t you?”
Tara’s eyes widened in feigned innocence but when his stern expression didn’t alter, she burst into laughter.
Max shook his head, trying to keep from laughing himself. “I don’t think you have the proper respect for my title, Ms. Jacobs,” he said, continuing with his stern expression. “I have the perfect remedy for that though.”
Tara finally gained control of her laughter, but just barely. “Oh, I’m sorry, Your Highness. And you’re wrong. I have just enough respect for you and your title. And I’m willing to prove it,” she said, standing up and bowing carefully. `
Max stood up, crossing his arms over his chest and watched her mock him. He also received a delightful glimpse of the upper curves of her breasts when she bowed low and her silk shirt fluttered open slightly.
“A female curtsies,” he explained and rolled his eyes. “A man bows. So again, how are you going to prove your respect?”
Tara sat back down in her chair and shook her head. “Sorry, no curtsies. I’m not that coordinated. What would satisfy you?” she asked and looked up at him, her eyes twinkling with merriment.
Several ideas came to mind on how she could satisfy him but none were appropriate at the moment. He cleared his throat and focused on his previous idea for punishment. “You’re going to sit through these afternoon meetings with me. And you’ll take notes and keep these men in line. They’d never get rowdy when a lady is present.”
Tara was shaking her head at his first mention of the interminably long meetings with the union representatives. “Oh, Your Highness, please. Not those meetings. They are scheduled for the rest of the afternoon!”
Max just shook his head, showing he wasn’t going to relent this time. “Sorry, you’re punishment,” he said and walked away. He didn’t mention that he would enjoy staring at her legs for the afternoon, which would help him get through the boring and probably hostile meetings. The thought perked him up instantly.
The phone rang and their small period of levity was over for the rest of the day. It was usually extremely busy in his office but Max trusted that all the important information was filtering up to him. Tara had a wonderful way of controlling the chaos and managing the problems so only the most important issues reached his desk. She was usually able to resolve most issues before they became a problem and he loved that about her. Her predecessor would bring everything to him and Max sometimes became frustrated trying to delegate issues to others.
Max left the meeting with the union representatives and headed straight into the negotiations with the mechanics. He realized a little too late that it might have been an error to have Tara sit in on the meetings all afternoon. His gaze kept straying to her long legs that were crossed demurely as she sat in the chair next to him. Each time she moved, his focus was distracted from the discussions to her legs and he had to force himself to concentrate on the conversation again. He was sure he missed several pertinent topics during those periods.
Tara stepped out at one point and came back with a tray of cookies and tea for everyone. It was right at the moment when the tension was rising between the mechanics and the owners. The break helped enormously and Max again appreciated how she had an innate knack for knowing when things were becoming unproductive and reading people correctly. The rest of the meeting went off without a hitch and Max attributed that to the tea break where people got up, stretched and had informal discussions with each other. They were all able to settle back down and figure out a solution to several complaints between the two groups.