Page 26 of Embracing the Enemy

I had just finished shutting down my workstation when the desk phone rang, and Killian Warrick’s name flashed across the screen. I’d never been this nervous to answer a call before, but my hand was practically shaking when I reached for the phone.

“Posie Tinley,” I answered, my voice giving my nervousness away.

“Ms. Tinley, do you have a moment to meet with me in my office?” he asked, and I immediately rolled my eyes, though he couldn’t see.

“Really?” I deadpanned.

I heard him chuckle softly, and my thighs clenched at the sound. “My apologies,” he lied.

“I’ll be right there,” I told him, letting him off the hook, but also curious to see what he wanted. I felt very much like that stupid moth flying too close to that dangerous flame, but I couldn’t ignore that I was curious to see what he wanted from me. Icarus, the sun, and all that.

Even though it was a short ride, as soon as I got on the elevator, I pulled out my phone and dialed Lennon.

“Hey-”

“He made a pass at me earlier, and now he’s called me up to his office, and I think it’s to get my answer on if I want to sleep with him,” I rushed out. “What do I do? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

“You make sure the door is locked, then bend over his desk,” she easily replied. “What more is there to do?”

“I’m serious, Lennon,” I screeched.

“So, am I,” she screeched back. “Look, Posie, I know that this is frowned upon by every H.R. department out there, but I’ve never heard you speak about a guy like this before. Killian Warrick might be worth the risk, but even if it turns out that he’s not, at least you took a chance. Live, Posie. Finally do something that makes you feel alive."

Her words hit me in the chest.

Alive.

“I know that you’ve come a long way, Posie, and I’m so fucking proud of you. However, Killian is the first guy that makes you feel before he makes you think, and I think that means so much. While no one could ever fault you for the way that you methodically calculate everything that you do in life, I think having a hot and heavy affair with Killian Warrick is just what you need to finally conquer that last step.”

I didn’t realize I was crying until I felt a dribble of wetness on my chin. “Okay,” I choked out. “Okay.”

“I also want to know everything,” she added like the Lennon that I knew so well.

“I’ll call you later,” I promised. “Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

The elevator stopped just as I hung up with Lennon. I put my phone back in my purse, then stepped out of the steel box, nervous as hell. Though Lennon was a great hype-man, there was no ignoring that Killian and I were crossing a line that we both knew better than to cross. This was a classic case of him thinking with his penis and me thinking with my vagina.

When I reached his secretary’s desk, she smiled up at me. Though she had a reputation of a dragon guarding the treasure, she looked welcoming enough. “Ms. Tinley, Mr. Warrick is expecting you.”

“Thank you, Elsa,” I muttered, a guilty smile on my face.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to head towards his office. Never having been on this floor before, it felt rather intimidating. The floor was elegantly designed, and the double-doors at the end of the hallway were both elegantly designed and intimidating.

Throwing caution to the wind, I knocked on the door, then waited a few seconds before Killian opened the door for me. There was a small smirk on his lips as he stepped back to give me room to walk through the door.

Shutting the door behind him, he said, “Thank you for meeting with me.” When I turned and shot him a look, he threw his hands up in mock surrender. “You’re officially off the clock, Ms. Tinley. So, in this instance, you didn’t need to do what I had asked.”

“Fair enough,” I muttered.

Straightening to his full height, he lifted his chin a bit as those blue eyes of his regarded me shrewdly. “So, what’s it going to be,” he asked directly.

No matter how uncomfortable, painful, or tactless, you had to be able to appreciate it when someone was being direct with you. No one liked to be manipulated or played with, so letting someone know exactly where you stood was a sign of respect that people failed to see behind their hurt or uncomfortable feelings.

“You can’t just…just dump something like that on my lap and not expect me to have questions,” I finally answered.

“That’s fair,” he replied. “So, what questions do you have for me, Ms. Tinley?”

---