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****
Two agonizingly slow days passed while Robert tried his damndest to leave her alone. He began to watch the consistency and detail of her work.
She was good.
He had never given it a thought before. He had been so obsessed with getting her gone and getting her done that her work ethic went unnoticed.
But her standards were high. The detail of her work was impeccable. They had already gone through five people trying to find the right fit. Someone smart. Someone dependable.
She was exactly the kind of secretary he was going to need when Mrs. Argenot retired completely.
Fuck.
Just one step closer to driving him out of his fucking mind.
****
Renee parked her car in her covered space at the condo and grabbed her bag. She thought the day would never end. That the weekend would never get here. She seriously needed some down time. She ran up the flight of stairs but came to an abrupt halt when she saw the tall, broad figure lounging next to her front door. How had he beat her here? She wasn't aware that he had even left work.
Her steps faltered. "What are you doing here?" She didn't come any closer.
Robert watched her hesitant movements and wanted to get the two of them inside with the door locked before she either bolted entirely or threw a hissy fit on the front steps.
"I'm going to buy you dinner to repay you for the meal you gave me the other day." He surveyed the mutinous expression on her face. "I promise. I have no ulterior motive for being here. You really helped me out by catching the mistake with the La Fourche project. Let me take you out to dinner."
Renee eyed him with apparent skepticism. She was hungry. And so tired she thought she might just give up and hit the couch for a nap before she prepared anything. She made a quick decision. "Okay. Give me a minute."
She pushed over to the front door and unlocked it. She went through to the bedroom and said, "I'll only be a moment."
She noticed he was still dressed in his work clothes, so she didn't bother changing, either. She just brushed her teeth and freshened her lipstick, and brushed her hair out quickly. She wanted to get some food and then get rid of him. She knew she would eventually have to deal with him, but not right now.
She walked back out and saw him sitting on the couch, one booted foot crossed over the other knee. A highly masculine pose if she had ever seen one. He raised one lone eyebrow in question.
"That was quick. I expected to be here for an hour waiting on you."
Renee turned away from him and grabbed her bag off the counter where she had dropped it before. "I told you I would only be a minute. I'm ready." She turned back to see him getting up and moving toward her. She opened the door and stepped out, waiting for him to do the same.
When he moved past her, a frisson of need swept through her body. She would have to be careful tonight. Be on guard the whole time. Robert Thibodeaux was a threat to her sanity, her person and her whole life.
Her hands were shaking, and he stopped next to her and took the keys from her. He slipped the key in the lock and slid home the deadbolt. Turning, he put his hand to the small of her back and followed her downstairs.
Renee came to a stop in the parking lot and held out her hand for her keys.
He stood and twirled them around his fingers. "How about seafood? Let's drive down to the riverfront."
She continued to stand there, hand out. "That sounds fine. I'll follow you. I don't want you to have to drive all the way back here."
He didn't acknowledge her words at all. Just slipped her keys into his front pocket and started walking over to his car, a low-slung black sports car, the epitome of sophistication. He went to the passenger door and pushed a button on his own keys that deactivated a mechanism that unlocked the doors. He opened the door and watched her hovering nearby, still a few feet away. "Get in."
When Renee continued to stand still, the words became deep and rough. "Get in the car, Renee."
She slowly made her way over to the car, and slid in the seat. He shut the door and she was inside, her nerves frayed. On the outside she was poised, calm and graceful. On the inside she was a mess. Beating herself up for letting him get her into his car. He walked around the front and slid into the driver's seat. His door closed with a subdued click, and she was enclosed in the small space with him. She jumped slightly when the doors automatically locked, and she felt a moment of hysteria from being at his mercy. A feeling of powerlessness washed over her and she took a tremulous breath.
He started the car, and pulled out onto the main thoroughfare. He reached in his pocket, and slipped her keys out. He held them out to her, never taking his eyes off the road. When she slipped her hand over to get them, his grip tightened and momentarily didn't release them. She raised her eyes to his, and he briefly took his attention from the road and looked at her, without releasing her keys.
It was a power play. She recognized it; he was trying to prove something. It was a not so subtle way of telling her he was the one in control. She lowered her eyes from his, and he released his grip on the keys and turned his attention back to the road.
The drive to the restaurant was accomplished in silence. There was an underlying layer of tension surrounding them, and Renee couldn't find the energy or will to try to take the edge off with idle chit-chat. Her nerves were stretched thin, and what started as a healthy hunger soon dwindled away to no appetite at all, induced by stress.
