Page 46 of Obeying the Owner

Sliding my chair back, I stand and move toward the wall of wooden cabinets lining the back of the room. Behind one of them, there’s a small refrigerator I know my dad keeps stocked with bottles of water.

Knuckles rap on the open door as I’m reaching inside the fridge. “Come in,” I say, grabbing a bottle before turning around to see my new assistant for the first time. My eyes bulge. “Mae.”

Her expression mirrors mine. “James.”

“What are you doing here?” we ask simultaneously.

“It’s my first day,” I say.

Her brow furrows. “Are you the new owner?”

I nod. “Yes. Why are you here?”

Her eyes briefly close, and she presses her lips together. “I’m your assistant.”

“Your name’s Maeve?”

She nods.

“You lied about your name?” I ask, sounding judgmental.

“So did you, Trey.” She’s clearly annoyed.

I realize it’s the first time I’ve heard her call me by my name, and I like it. I walk past her to close the door and then stop in front of her. With only inches separating us, all I want to do is touch her. Hold her. Kiss her. But I force myself to ignore my urges and clear up any misgivings.

“James is my middle name.”

“My friend set up my Finder account. I didn’t realize she hadn’t put Maeve until we’d already matched.”

I take my time looking her over. She’s the picture of professionalism in her short-sleeved blouse, skirt, and high heels. Somehow she makes it look unbelievably sexy. “So, you’re the infamous Maeve.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“My dad raved about his assistant and told me how much I was going to love having you work under me.” I laugh. “Ironic, huh?”

She takes a few steps away from me, drops into one of the chairs in front of my desk, and rubs her hand over her forehead. “This is a mess. What are we going to do?” She looks and sounds devastated.

I return to my seat, thankful for the space between us. Leaning forward on the wooden desktop, I ask, “Do you like working here?”

“I love it,” she answers without hesitation.

Fuck me.

I’m glad she likes her job, but I don’t like what that means for us.

Goddammit.

It figures when I finally find a woman I’d actually like to continue seeing, a monkey wrench gets thrown into the mix, completely fucking it up.

“Then you’ll keep your position, and I’ll be your new boss.”

Her eyebrows pinch together. “What about…?” She doesn’t voice the rest.

“That happened before you were working for me. Technically, we’ve done nothing wrong.” She remains silent as we unblinkingly stare at each other. “Do you have anything you want to say?” I finally ask.

“Pizza,” she mumbles, staring straight ahead.

“Pizza?” I repeat after her.

---