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  STAY WITH ME

  E. R. WADE

  Copyright © 2017 E.R. Wade

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.

  To my family – Geoff, Cece and Sam – for their love and support.

  CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Epilogue

  Excerpt: Lie With Me

  ONE

  Sofia

  “Hey. You’re the new interior designer.” I look into the friendly, smiling face of the woman approaching me. “I’m Erin. You must be Sofia.”

  “I am,” I say, holding out my hand to her and smiling back at her. “I’m pleased to meet you.”

  She takes my hand in hers but instead of shaking it, she pulls me inside the office. My hand is firmly gripped in hers, and I don’t have a choice but to follow her. She’s stronger than she looks considering her slender figure and shorter height. She’s a couple of inches shorter than me even with the high heels she’s wearing. I don’t know where she gets her strength from.

  Her hair is a deep shade of brown, and is parted at the side and tucked behind her ears ending just above her shoulders. Three gold stud earrings adorn each ear. Long lashes frame clear light brown eyes. There’s a light smattering of freckles across her pert nose, and full her pink lips are coated with clear gloss which appears to be the only makeup she has on. She’s wearing black skinny jeans and a purple sleeveless blouse partially tucked in. She looks striking.

  I had just stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby on the seventh floor, readying myself to walk through the glazed glass doors of my new office when Erin walked through the doors and is now pulling me in through them.

  “Nadya has been looking forward to having you here,” she tells me, while virtually dragging me through the reception and an empty open-plan office. It’s not yet eight-thirty but since I’m usually an early riser, I’m here early for my first day at Scott Design LLC. I haven’t met Nadya Coleman in person but I’ve had two video interviews with her and three telephone conversations so I’m feeling quite relaxed about seeing her and starting work here.

  “Where’s everyone?” I ask her. We’re in a wide hallway encased with glass on both sides and I make out a couple of offices, a small meeting room and a larger meeting room as we make our way towards the end of the hallway.

  “We don’t open till nine. I’m usually the first to get in. Everyone else comes in from eight-thirty.”

  Erin stops in front of an open doorway. “Nadya, guess who’s here early?”

  Sharp dark brown eyes look up and meet mine and in an instant Nadya Coleman stands up to make her way around her desk with a smile across her face. “Sofia. How lovely to finally have you here. I hope your move from New York went smoothly.”

  I've just opened my mouth to respond when she turns to Erin. “Can you let go off her hand before you scare her off?” I didn’t realize my hand is still in Erin’s.

  “Impossible. She doesn’t look like she scares easily,” she says playfully, letting go of me. Turning fully to face me, she says, “Nadya says you’re good so you must be. This is a great place to work as I’m sure you’ll find out soon. If you need anything, let me know. My office is right next to the coffee room. It has a sign with ‘Admin’ on it. Also you’ll find my extension on a list next to your desk phone. See you later. Bye Nadya.” With that, she waltzes out the door. I can’t help but watch her leave with a smile on my face. I like her already.

  “Sofia, please have a seat.”

  “Thank you,” I say, sitting in one of the two chairs in front of her large desk.

  She sits on the chair beside me, facing me. “You're even prettier in person.”

  That’s nice of her to say. Nadya is beautiful and sexy with a voluptuous figure. She has straight jet-black hair and is about an inch or two taller than me. She doesn’t give me a chance to respond and continues speaking.

  “I’ve heard good things about you from your previous employer. Like I said the last time we talked, we want to expand our product offering and we want you to set up the interior design department. It’s going to be a lot of work for you but I don’t expect that to be a problem. We already have a number of clients lined up who are eager to get started. You’ll report directly to Julian, the CEO. He’s not in the office yet.” She pauses for a beat, and asks, “Any questions?”

  “No. None for now.” Nadya and I had discussed extensively about my role during our last telephone conversation so I’m already prepared.

  “Good. Let me show you to your office.”

  We leave her office and she shows me to my new office two doors down from hers. The office is smaller than hers but still a lot more spacious than I expected. Inside, there’s a large desk with a computer and a desk phone on it, and three black leather chairs. Behind my chair is a long rectangular window. To my right, there’s a white shelving unit which takes up the entire wall. The wall opposite it is bare. We’re standing in the doorway, and the door and wall are made with glass, parts of it frosted for privacy.

  This is a very nice office, less crowded too. It’s a massive step up from my cubicle in New York.

  “You can decorate it however you like. Let me know if there’s anything you need, like additional furniture, and I’ll get it sorted out. Your laptop is already configured for you. You can get settled in and I’ll be back in thirty minutes.”

  “Thanks, Nadya.” She smiles at me before walking away, back to her office I presume.

  I really like my office. I drop my bag on my new desk and switch on my laptop.

  Exactly thirty minutes later, Nadya comes into my office. “Sofia, let’s go to the Rosenburg site in SoMa. We’ll need to hit the ground running.” She’s already walking briskly out the door. I catch up with her, glad I chose to wear shoes with a two-inch heel today. Walking around a construction site with anything higher than that would not have been pretty. “Julian is already there and I'm sure he’ll want to talk with you about some of the ideas the client has for the interior.”

  Julian Scott is the founding principal and chief executive officer of Scott D
esign. I haven’t met or spoken to him yet. He wasn’t involved in my interviews which were overseen by the two vice presidents, Nadya and Tom Snow. However, his reputation precedes him. His work is well known, and he has quickly earned a reputation for his innovative designs.

  We’re in the car, on our way to site. “Like I mentioned during our last interview, we usually contract out the interior design but because of the increasing demand from our clients, we’ve decided to bring it in-house for some of our current projects and all future projects. This is one of the projects that the client wants us to handle the interior design.”

  The Rosenburg building site is a six-story office building with the building’s primary structure and envelope constructed, and with large and expansive windows fitted with reflective glass. Nadya informed me on our way over that this will be the client’s new head office.

  “Ah. There’s Julian.” Nadya doesn’t wait for me. She walks right through all the workers and straight to a blond-haired man bent over some architectural drawings on a makeshift table. I scramble after her careful not to bump into anyone. Nadya says something to the man which makes him aware of her presence. I can’t see his face which is now turned towards her. He straightens and listens attentively to what she’s saying. I stop a couple of feet in front of the table.

  Nadya gestures at me. He turns to look at me and I’m suddenly hit with his stunning light blue eyes. For a moment, I forget why I’m here. I forget that Nadya is standing right next to him. I forget my own name. I forget to breathe.

  Wow! I’m face to face with the most attractive man I’ve ever seen. He’s easily six feet three inches tall, a good nine inches taller than me when I’m not wearing heels. He has gorgeous dark blond hair, a straight nose and a smooth, chiseled jaw. My gaze moves to his incredibly sexy and slightly full lips, and I wonder what it would feel like having them on mine. And without a doubt, he has the most arresting and intense blue eyes I’ve ever come across, framed by incredibly long lashes. I could drown in them forever, and never come up for air. Lust. Unadulterated lust, the likes of which I have never experienced, pulsate through me, making my feminine parts which I haven’t paid any attention to in a long time awaken with desire.

  This man standing in front of me is a god. That’s the best way to describe him. A god. A beautiful god I want to get to know in all the sinful ways known to man. I want to climb all over him. I want to feel his body on mine. I want to see him naked. Hiding under the dark blue button-down shirt and dress pants he’s wearing is a toned, lean and muscular body. He looks amazingly fit. If he knew the naughty thoughts going through my mind and how much my fingers are itching to touch him, I would probably be out of a job very fast.

  I’ve never felt this drawn to anyone, and I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from him. I see something flicker in his intense light blue eyes. He doesn’t turn away from me, he just looks at me impassively.

  He is watching me stare at him. I force myself to snap out of whatever the heck is happening to me, and remind myself to breathe.

  Before I applied for the job, I explored the company website, looking particularly at the projects they’ve worked on – buildings they had designed, remodeled and renovated – and their management team. Julian Scott’s picture on the website does not do him justice. His face was partially turned away from the camera and the picture is in black and white. Anyone looking at it can tell he’s good looking but seeing him in the flesh, there is no denying that he is devastatingly handsome.

  “Julian, this is Sofia Landon. The interior designer we convinced to move out here from New York.” I hear Nadya say to him. From the corner of my eye, I see that she’s smiling at me. “Sofia, Julian Scott.”

  “Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I say, extending my hand to him. I sound a little breathless. I hope no one notices. He looks at my proffered hand as if reluctant to take it which makes me feel uncomfortable and wishing that I hadn’t bothered, but there is no way I am going to take it back. He hesitates, clearly unwilling to touch me. After what seems like an eternity but is probably just about two seconds with my hand hanging between us, he reluctantly takes my hand in his and gives me the briefest of handshakes. Immediately his hand makes contact with mine, I feel a sharp jolt of electricity shoot up my hand and travel through my body. I take a step back, surprised by my body’s reaction to him. He shoves his hand into his pocket. I search his face looking for any clue that he felt it too, but his expression remains impassive. I’m more than a little worried about my body’s reaction to him. I decide I’m not going to be shaking his hand again anytime soon. He doesn’t look like he wants me touching him too which might be for the best.

  “I’m glad you could join us,” he says smoothly, in a deep, sexy voice.

  Another burst of awareness flows through me at the sound of his voice. How can he sound like that? No one has a right to look that good and also sound that good. And I am supposed to work with him? I’ve spent the last few months uninterested in men and focused on my career, and in a weird twist of fate, the first man to spark my interest happens to be my new boss. This move back to San Francisco was about coming back home, putting my ex-boyfriend behind me and moving my career forward. Getting involved with anyone isn’t part of my plan.

  He looks anything but glad. Actually, I get the feeling that he doesn’t want me here or anywhere near him which is fine by me. His aloofness helps me control my errant body's response to him.

  There is no other option but to always keep in mind that he’s my boss and it is best to keep things professional at all times, and that means no staring at him and definitely no touching.

  I notice Nadya giving us curious looks, and I remind myself to be professional.

  “Thank you. I’m happy to be here,” I say politely. Julian Scott’s expression doesn’t change, he still looks as impassive as ever. I wonder if he ever smiles. Sofia, keep it professional, I tell myself sternly. I shouldn’t care if he smiles or not. I decide to be nice.

  “I’m a great admirer of your work. Your buildings are aesthetically refreshing and modern.” It’s true. Julian has made a name for himself by designing some wonderfully artistic buildings, and although his buildings are modern they always blend in with the immediate environment. He doesn’t just place a building on top of the land. His designs are popular for being clean and functional, with lots of straight and angled lines. He typically makes use of glass to bring in lots of natural light to open spaces. He has become a sought-after architect with a considerable portfolio. He has accomplished so much but he can’t be more than two or three years older than me.

  His eyes turn slightly darker which intrigues me immensely, almost making me ask him why. What is he thinking?

  “Which is your favorite?” he asks. That voice. How am I still standing? I’m barely managing to hold myself together.

  “The Raeflin Plaza,” I answer without having to think about it, and then I add, “And the Skye Tower.” After looking at the pictures online, I am yet to see a building of his that I don’t like. Raeflin Plaza is an office complex made up of four distinct buildings and park land in Embarcadero, San Francisco and the Skye Tower is a fifty-story office building in Manhattan, New York. I attended a meeting in the Skye Tower after it opened ten months ago. A client of my previous employer leased two floors and wanted the firm to handle the interior design. To say I was overawed by the steel and glass structure would be an understatement. Luckily my boss had the same reaction so he didn’t chastise me for standing there gaping. The building is an impressive addition to the Manhattan cityscape. It has become quite common to see people standing in front of it and across the street taking pictures. I haven’t been inside the Raeflin yet. Since its completion three years ago, it’s been occupied by its owner, technology giant, Raeflin Inc. I’ve seen some of the pictures in architectural magazines and online. The plaza is amazing. The interior and the exterior are integrated by design, and the offices have large open spaces flowing seamlessl
y from one room to another. Most of the offices have at least one wall made of glass and facing a park, giving you an awesome view while you work. I could accomplish a lot in that kind of office.

  Julian nods, and my hope that he would ask me why those two are my favorites are dashed when Nadya interrupts us.

  “Julian, I thought you could tell Sofia about the ideas for the interior. I’ll leave you two –”

  He turns to Nadya. “No. You’ll have to handle that. Sofia will be working with you. I have to leave in a few minutes for a meeting with William Brandon.”

  Nadya furrows her brow slightly. “Julian –”

  “Nadya,” he calls her name in a warning tone.

  She gives him an exasperated look. “Fine. Whatever you say.”

  “Thank you. Now if you ladies will please excuse me, I have a meeting to attend.”

  “William Brandon came in from New York?” Nadya asks.

  “Yeah, he arrived last night,” he responds as he packs up the drawings he was studying when we walked in.

  He doesn’t spare me a glance as he walks away from us. I’m feeling both relieved and disappointed. I’m relieved that I don’t have to work with him which means that I can probably avoid him and not see him that much. I should be happy, the man obviously doesn’t like me and he’s rude. He made it clear that he doesn’t want to work with me, to my face. Nadya seems nice enough and I would rather work with her. So why am I feeling disappointed?

  Nadya turns to me. “Sofia, let’s get some protective wear on before I show you around the premises. There should be some hard hats and boots in the makeshift office at the back.”

  After we are kitted in hard hats, boots and reflective wear, we go from room to room with Nadya explaining what the client wants and the concept behind it.

  TWO

  Sofia

  “Hey babe. How’s your first day?” My best friend, Skylar Rotham, is on the line, asking in her usual sexy and confident voice. She’s the reason I applied for this job. She had just moved to San Francisco and I was looking for a change of scene. She sent me the advertisement and encouraged me to apply.