Page 28 of The Temptation (Executive Suite Secrets #4)

SIMON MILLER

I didn’t see Pierce at all on Tuesday, but he sent a quick text confirming the time of the office mixer that I was to attend as his significant other.

It seemed safe to assume that he hadn’t confessed to his parents the second my back was turned.

But I knew my time was dwindling fast. Pierce’s parents weren’t going to stay in Cincinnati forever.

They would return home, and Pierce wouldn’t need me as his fake boyfriend any longer.

I had to come up with a way to lock his ass into a real relationship.

The company hired to handle the party had transformed the office into a glittering escape.

Beautiful floral arrangements and trees that twinkled with white lights filled all the nooks and crannies.

A string quartet played in a corner of the conference room, sending the soft music trickling out to fill every available space.

Pierce met me just past the reception area, looking as dapper as ever in his charcoal-gray suit and silver tie. He took my hand and started to lead me inside, but I placed a hand on his chest and stopped him.

“Hey, are you okay? You look tired,” I said, taking in the dark circles under his eyes.

A small smile rested on his lips, and he squeezed my hand. “I’ve gotten little sleep recently. After Mom’s scare, I’ve been trying to catch up on some work that has piled up. I’m sorry I didn’t call yesterday.”

“Understandable. How’s your mom?”

“Good. They released her from the hospital yesterday, and she’s resting.” He grunted a rough laugh. “She’s grumpy that Dad wouldn’t let her attend tonight.”

“There will be plenty of other parties for her.” I leaned closer and whispered, “You want me to come over tonight after the party? We can cuddle, eat cheese, and listen to your rain recording.”

A long, weary sigh escaped Pierce. “God, that sounds so fucking good.” As my hopes rose that he’d agree to it, he shook his head hard as if trying to free himself from the image. “Can’t. I’ve got an enormous pile of reading ahead of me tonight.”

“I can feed you cheese as you read.”

Pierce smirked and tugged me toward the office party. “This won’t be a late thing. There will be plenty of time for you to head out to grab drinks and pick up someone at a bar. That sounds like a far better night to me.”

Fuck. That.

Tedious nightclub scene or feeding cheese to the sexy man holding my hand? Gee, it’s so fucking hard to choose.

Usually, he put more effort into brushing me off. It had to be the fatigue, or that I’d finally worn his ass down. I liked to think it was the latter.

We walked together through the office space, past a row of offices with glass walls facing a small area filled with cubicles.

Pierce murmured that this was where the paralegals and some of the junior lawyers sat.

The office building itself was filled with old-fashioned exposed brick walls and dark wood, giving it a different feel from the usual rich, polished office buildings I’d seen.

I’d visited Sebastian and Declan at Courtland Enterprises a couple of times for lunch, and that building was filled with glass, polished nickel, and marble, giving it an elegant but very sterile feel.

Meanwhile, the Sutton law firm was warm and inviting.

The deeper we moved into the building, the bigger the offices became, along with more gleaming wood and leather seats.

Here we were reaching the domain of senior partners.

In one boardroom, the long table had been pushed against the wall and the chairs removed.

A white tablecloth stretched over it, and food filled silver platters and chafing dishes.

“I thought you mentioned this was going to be little finger foods? Hors d’oeuvres?” I murmured.

Pierce’s smile returned, even brighter. “That was the plan, but Marie realized that since we were holding this directly after regular business hours, people were going to be hungry for dinner. It made sense to do something more substantial, so people wouldn’t be rushing out of here to get dinner.”

“I like Marie. You better be paying her what she’s worth, because she’s a gem.”

“I am. She’s helped keep me sane while setting up this branch of Sutton Law. Do you want to fix a plate now? Are you hungry?”

The food smelled and looked amazing. There was already a line forming as people filled their plates.

It was all so tempting, but it was better to wait.

“No, I’m good for now. You still have to introduce me to coworkers, and I need to say hi to your dad.

I want to get that done before I get spinach stuck in my teeth or something dribbled on my tie. ”

Pierce nodded and pulled me in a different direction to what appeared to be a large office where stools and small circular high-top tables had been placed.

There were about twenty people in here wearing suits and evening dresses.

They chatted and held glasses of wine or mixed drinks they’d gotten from a bar that had been set up in the corner.

“Can I get you a drink?” Pierce inquired.

“Nope. That’ll be my reward for getting through this gauntlet. I can’t wait to show you how charming I can be.”

Pierce laughed, but I soon showed him I was a fucking star when it came to chatting up and charming people.

I’d been doing this for most of my life.

It wasn’t enough that I could play the violin better than practically everyone in the world; people also expected me to be witty, charming, and a must-have at all their parties.

While I didn’t know shit about law or contracts, I could spin incredible stories about my travels around the globe and the interesting people I’d met.

People inevitably asked how Pierce and I met. I always kept it vague so that the whole nonexistent age gap issue that haunted Pierce was glossed over. Childhood friends. That was easy enough.

While I was ready to be charming and witty, I wasn’t prepared to see Pierce in work mode.

This man who’d stolen my heart was giving me absolutely no chance to escape.

Despite his obvious fatigue, he still chatted and joked easily with everyone we saw.

He could shift from serious to encouraging in the blink of an eye.

And somehow, it was like he always knew exactly what to say to brush aside tension or break the ice, putting everyone at ease.

Most of the time, I forgot that Pierce Sutton was the head of this law firm.

Yes, his dad was the grand pooh-bah of the entire company, but on a day-to-day basis, Pierce was the one calling the shots.

He was a brilliant, powerful man who had a deep impact on the lives of these people, but he was also the sweet, caring person who held me when I was burned out and fed me cheese.

More than an hour had passed before Pierce finally worked us over to his father on the other side of the room. Pierce felt secure enough to slip away to fetch us a drink while I talked to his dad.

“How’s Mrs. Sutton? Pierce mentioned she’s feeling better,” I asked the second we were alone.

“Fine, fine. Angry at me for making her go to the hospital in the first place.”

I grinned and shifted from one foot to the other. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“True, but she’s disappointed she didn’t get to see you prior to our leaving town.”

My stomach dropped into my shoes, and there was no holding on to my smile. “Leave? You’re leaving already?”

Oliver nodded. “It’s time. We’ve been here meddling in Pierce’s life for two weeks. I have a feeling that if we try to stay any longer, he’s going to drug us and stuff us on the first plane heading north.”

“No, I would never allow that,” I spat out while my brain shut down in panic. They’re leaving? I knew it had to be coming soon, but this sounded like they were leaving tomorrow or Friday. They couldn’t! I needed more time. Pierce was still being a stubborn ass.

Oliver chuckled and patted me on the shoulder. “You’re such a sweet boy. Just keep looking after Pierce for us. He’s in excellent hands with you. I know we’ve been hassling him about moving to Boston, but his mother is less worried about him now, thanks to you.”

“Of course. Pierce is my everything.”

And I meant it. Maybe what I’d felt for all those years had been silly infatuation, but these past couple of weeks had proved to me that I’d been right for falling for this man.

He was so fucking protective, so sweet, so caring, and funny.

God, when he let himself relax, the most ridiculous things would come out of his mouth. How could I not fall for him?

The most important thing right now was to fight for him.

Pierce rejoined us a moment later with a glass of champagne for me and whiskey for himself. We made some polite small talk with Oliver for a few more minutes and then Pierce thoughtfully put a hand on my lower back and steered me out of the room.

“Would you like to get something to eat now?” Pierce inquired.

“Actually, is there a quiet spot we can sit? I could use a minute to decompress.”

“Of course.” Pierce took my hand and smiled at his employees as we wove our way through the building and along another corridor to his office.

Once the door was closed behind us, sealing us away from the din of conversation and steady foot traffic, I breathed a sigh of relief. I could easily play the part of the outgoing socialite, but it was draining.

“You were wonderful out there,” Pierce complimented. He strolled over to his desk and set his half-empty glass on it before leaning against the front.

“You think?”

Pierce chuckled. “You had them all eating out of the palm of your hand, and you know it.”

I preened under his praise, shooting a smirk in his direction as I slowly walked around his office. This was my second time here. My first visit on Monday hadn’t been that great of an experience, so I hadn’t been able to be as nosy as I’d wanted.