Page 14 of Midnight Heat

I hang up the phone and place it on my new desk.

"You lied to me."

I look up and his intense expression makes me tremble. I say the only thing I can. The truth.

"I lie when I feel pressured. I'm sorry."

"Did you know I owned the place before you hit on me?"

"Excuse me, that was a two-way street. You hit on me, too. And, no. I didn't know who you were, just that some women were gossiping about the hot dude in the VIP section, and I guessed it had to be you."

"You left. No note, no anything. Why? You didn't enjoy our time together?"

"This conversation isn't appropriate for the workplace, Mr. Lewis. All I need to know is, are you going to fire me?"

"Right now, I'm too angry to make any decisions. Besides, our partner hired you, and I'd need a pretty good reason to fire you before you even start. You haven't answered my questions."

"I…"

There's a knock at the door, and Erik comes rushing in.

"Annette, try to talk to HR soon. Oh, Max, what are you doing here?"

"Telling our new employee that she's to report to me directly."

"But you don't care about marketing," Erik says.

"I do now."

Max turns around and exits the office, leaving Erik and me in shock. He squints his eyes at me.

"I'm sorry. He never takes an interest in marketing and social media. I don't know what's gotten into him. Just, whatever you're going to report to him—report to me first."

"Right."

"Welcome to Midnight Heat."

The next few weeks are a struggle for me. I try to stay in my office as much as possible, but part of my job is to be on the floor at least twice a week to see if my promotions bring in customers. But there's a big possibility that I can run into Max there, and I want to avoid interacting with him as much as possible.

Max, however, won’t let me hide. He comes by every day and demands a report from me. I've already told Erik about it, but he's just as flabbergasted at his partner's behavior. Max’s visits are all the same. He comes into my office, sits down, and stares at me. He does this even though I send a report each morning to avoid him coming here.

Then, the same words come out of his mouth.

"Tell me something true about yourself."

I blush and try to find something innocuous that I can tell him about me. I don't dare lie to him, though. The problem is, I'm starting to look forward to these visits. Even though he hasn't made a move on me, the fact that he wants to know about me hits me right in the feels. Plus, every day, he looks hotter. I love him in jeans and a t-shirt, but when he's got on a suit, he rules the underworld. Or rather, my underpants.

Today, I've had enough, and when he comes in and sits down before me, I interrupt his little routine by asking him a question.

"How about you tell me something about yourself, Mr. Lewis."

"I've told you to call me Max."

"It's inappropriate."

"I'll decide what's appropriate or not."

"And coming to interrogate me every day is appropriate, according to you?"

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