Juliette looked around the tiny, cluttered office. When Liam emailed her, she had no real thoughts about taking a job as the company's new bookkeeper, but she'd jumped at the chance. She should have asked for more details. At the time, she was so ready to leave home that it didn't matter what she was walking into. Now, Juliette was starting to think she got more than she bargained for.
"What happened here?" Juliette asked as she picked up one stack and then another.
"A little trouble with Andrew, the previous accountant. He had to leave in a rush," said Aidan as he watched her from the door.
Juliette nodded her head. If it was one thing she was starting to understand very quickly, it was that Aidan wasn't a man of many words. He said only what needed to be said and nothing more.
"Everything is here, but you will have to create some kind of system for yourself," said Aidan.
"That's fine, I can do it. First, tell me what really happened. Liam didn't give me any details, and you're just as vague. What have I walked in on?" She asked.
"It's a little late to ask those kinds of questions, don't you think?" Aidan countered.
His blue eyes looked at her questioningly. The doubt Juliette saw there frustrated her. She was here for the job, and there were details she should have gotten first. However, he had no right to treat her like she wasn't on a need to know basis.
Juliette approached him. Her amethyst eyes glistened with fierce control. She wasn't one to be bullied even now as her five-foot and six-inch curvy frame saddled up to Aidan's immense height and size. She crossed her arms, pursed her lips together and picked her words carefully.
"I'm here to help, but I don't have to be. I can charter my own helicopter out of here without any assistance from you. Now, I want to treat this as a job and do it well, but if you are going to stonewall me all the way you should just let me leave now," Juliette said to the barrel of Aidan's chest.
"I didn't invite you my brother did," Aidan started.
Juliette cut him off. Her almond shaped amethyst eyes narrowed as she stared at him.
"Yes, but if you didn't need me you wouldn't have let him. So how about you stop acting like I'm the enemy here and give me what I need to get your shit together. Otherwise, say the word and I will go home," Juliette responded.
Her hands were on her hips now. She looked up at him, directly into his blue eyes and hoped he believed her bluff. She needed this job, but she wouldn't take his outright disdain for her. Eight weeks was a long time to be here with someone who hated her. Not even the brief breaks between stints out would really get her by if Aidan was hell-bent on making this difficult. She hoped she could get him over to her side soon.
Aidan took a deep breath. She could see in the way he straightened his spine even more that he wasn't particularly happy with her challenging him, but he was the only one with answers. Juliette suspected it wasn't just a little bad filing that added the urgency of getting things done here. She wanted to know what she was looking at, or what she was looking for.
"My ex-partner took a lot of liberties as the accountant. I just need to know how bad it is so I can make some arrangements. I don't know what you will find once you get in there, but I expect your professionalism will allow you to figure it out. Dinner's at six," Aidan said.
He walked out of the office and closed the door behind him. Liberties was a fine way of saying his partner had stolen some money, and it was Juliette's job to determine how much. As she surveyed the mess once more, she knew she was in over her head. Juliette would never admit that at loud. She was going to get to the bottom of the money that was lost, and do everything she could to keep them on track.
Juliette pulled her hair up into a tight bun on the top of her head. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and dug in. Any of the piles would be a good starting point since there was no order to the work anyway. She crossed her legs and sat down in the middle of the floor, the middle of the mess. If she waited for one-minute longer, she would make good on her threat to leave before getting anything done. The reason wouldn't be quite the same as she'd hinted at with Aidan. The truth was that he was wreaking havoc on her libido. Since the first time his blue eyes stared into her, Juliette had been one misstep from falling into his arms. She was fighting it tooth and nail, but she wasn't sure she was really successful.
At least she had his obvious distrust of her to make sure she kept her distance. If she had it all to do over, she wouldn't have taken the job when Liam offered it. Juliette didn't know what she would have done without it, but at least she wouldn't be here swamped in bad record keeping and fighting her desire for a certain roughneck. It was just like her to fall into some chaos and expect it to be easy to crawl out of, but she could have predicted this.
Juliette unbuttoned her top revealing the cream tank underneath. She slipped out of her shoes and started to sort the papers into working order. She was bent over on all fours with her back turned when she heard the door creak open. Juliette looked over her shoulder. The disturbance wasn't welcomed as she was just finding a rhythm. Aidan was there at the door again. His eyes were on her supple butt, and he quickly tore them away. Aidan cleared his throat when he looked at her. Juliette resisted the urge to smile.
Slowly she pushed off of the floor and rose to stand in front of him.
"Is something wrong?" She asked.
She pretended she hadn't noticed his eyes on the smooth roundness of her butt, or the way his body so noticeably responded with a nice and thick outline against his dirt and oil-stained jeans. She didn't want him to feel like he had to respond to her, but she was thrilled that he had. At least she wasn't the only one struggling with a growing attraction. It made her feel good to know that he was fighting a battle of his own.
"I won't normally hover over you like this, so don't worry. I'm not here to micromanage you. I wanted to start over. This mess is a big deal, and it doesn't have me in the best mood," said Aidan.
"I can understand that. I'm still early on in trying to understand the method your partner was using, but I am here to help. We're on the same team here," said Juliette.
Her voice softened as she spoke. Behind the clear blue stare, she saw a man who was intensely private and very strong. This must be hard for him, thought Juliette. Beyond a monetary loss, she could see he was battling with betrayal. Juliette didn't know who his partner had been or what extent the damage had been done yet. She did know that she didn't want to let him down.
"So, I'm Aidan. I run the rig and everything involved with its upkeep. It's pretty rough out here, and I meant what I said about no Princess accommodations," said Aidan.
"I'm Juliette Chandler and don't worry about me. I can handle what I have. I'm not asking for special accommodations Aidan. I'm not that kind of girl. All I want is a fair shot and honest feedback on the work I'm doing. Nothing more, nothing less," said Juliette.
"Everyone gets a fair shot here. Get settled in and then let me know how I can help you dig us out of this mess. I don't really know how bad it is in here," Aidan said as he looked around.
"It's okay. I'll get to the bottom of it in no time. Now, I'm sure there is something pressing on this rig that can use you. Thank you for dropping by, but you should let me get to work now," said Juliette.
She wanted to sound forceful, authoritative even. Juliette sensed that Aidan wanted someone he didn't have to handle with kid gloves, and she intended for him to see her that way. She wanted him to realize that she was someone he could trust to get the job done and done well. She saw the flicker of amusement in his eyes and the way a smile threatened on his lips as he exited her makeshift office. She was winning him over, and Juliette liked the way it felt. She didn't know why it was so important to her, but she wanted badly to impress Aidan. Juliette would do whatever it took to help them – to help him.
***
Aidan just wanted to eat his dinner in peace, but his bear was anxiously pawing inside of him. It was putting him even further on edge, and he wasn't in the mood to wrestle with his beast today. Instead, what he wanted to do was focus on his food and then the work in front of him. Otherwise, he could get someone killed by not paying attention. He couldn't fight his wondering thoughts, though. The whole reason he took a break was because the more he resisted, the more she crept into his every waking moment.
Juliette looked good enough to eat as she filled her plate and made small talk with some of the guys. Definitely more tantalizing than what was in front of him. Aidan tried to explain it away. It had been nearly three weeks since he'd walked on solid earth, and he was definitely ready for some extracurricular activities. Namely, he was anxious for some succulent thighs wrapped around him. Juliette would pick that moment to cross her legs. She was so damn cute, sexy. He was trying to ignore it, but it only made him grouchier and frustrated with his current situation. She wouldn't even be here if it weren't for Andrew fucking everything up.
Now, Aidan had to deal with a homesick crew getting restless for the only woman brave enough to stay out here. Aidan had to hand it to her, he'd been nervous for Juliette at first. She changed his mind quickly. Most days she seemed docile, almost fragile, but she could pull some moxie out of her ass when she needed too. She'd checked a few boys who wanted to rub against her and set the tone for anyone else who would follow. Even Liam with his hungry eyes had given her space.
Aidan wondered what their connection could be. Liam wasn't the type to meet a lush woman and let her walk away untouched. Juliette would have been just the type to catch Liam's attention. If they'd had anything, it would at least give Aidan something to feed his bear. It would be a reason that he should stay away. He was hoping. There were enough distractions on this rig. He didn't want Juliette to continue to be one of them for him. It was getting harder and harder for him to ignore the way his cock pressed into his jeans whenever she wished touching distance or the way his thoughts constantly drifted back to the scent of her perfume when he went to bed. She was everywhere at once for him, and Aidan had no idea how to change that.
"Go talk to her," said Jordan as he pulled up a seat next to Aidan.
"Go talk to who," said Aidan as he tossed the remnants of his burger onto his plate and prepared to leave.
"Come on Aidan. We all know you got the hots for Juliette. Shit, most of the crew has the hots for Juliette, but something tells me it's different for you," said Jordan.
He always pushed too much for Aidan's taste. That insightful bullshit made Aidan uneasy. He didn't like anyone knowing his private thoughts. He'd hated it when his mother did it too.
"I like Juliette fine, but there's nothing more to it. As for the rest of the crew, tell them to keep their focus on the job. We can't take any chances out here," said Aidan.
He rose from his seat, tossed his trash, and left without looking back. He didn't want to take that chance that Juliette might be sauntering across the room. She was the only woman he knew that could make a casual stroll look like seduction. He wondered if she meant it to be that way.