Page 5 of One Hot Moment

Spencer shakes her hand. "I'm chuffed to meet you, Gladys. And I'm just as chuffed to meet the rest of you also. For anyone who doesn't know, the term chuffed means I'm very happy."

I open my mouth, ready to suggest that he should give a little speech. But Spencer gets there first.

He removes his suit jacket, hanging it over his arm. "I know this must be an awkward transition for you lot. Your former chief risk analyst must have been a good friend to all of you, based on the welcome you've given me. I'm new here, so I don't want to shake things up right now. Keep doing what you've been doing. In a week or so, when you've gotten used to me, I'd like to watch each of you doing your job so I can get a feel for your style of analysis. But I'll wait on that until a bit later."

"Don't worry about offending us," a man with salt-and-pepper hair pronounces. He strides up to Spencer and shakes the boss's hand firmly. "I'm Larry Harper. And I think I speak for everyone in this room when I say we're damn glad you're here and that jackass Don Masters got the boot."

"He was fired?"

"Yep. The guy had the personality of a Shar-Pei. In other words, he was a mean old cuss."

I clap my hands. "Okay, everyone, meet-the-boss time is over. Spencer and I need to get going."

Larry slaps the boss's arm, then flashes me a grin. "Giving him the grand tour, eh, Tabitha?"

"Of course. It's my job."

I hook my arm around Spencer's bicep once again and guide him out into the hall. "Now, it's time to show you the most important space in this building."

"What is it? The loo?"

"You'll see."

Chapter Three

Spencer

While Tabitha leads me down yet another hallway, this time on the sixth floor, she still refuses to share the secret with me. What sort of room is she dragging me to? If she wants to murder me, I doubt she'll find a place private enough for that. And if she's trying to frighten me away, that also won't work. But no, I don't believe she has either of those possibilities in mind.

I do love a good mystery. Still, I'm beginning to wonder about this woman. She might be a lunatic in disguise. "May I have some sort of clue to where you're taking me? I am your boss, after all. I could demand answers."

"Sure, you could. But you won't."

"You think you know me that well after a few hours?" I'm struggling to keep up with her, despite the fact she's wearing high heels. How can this woman run in stilettos? She's amazingly athletic. That's the only explanation. "You must be taking me to the loo. I don't see anywhere else we could be going."

"No, it's not the bathroom. Although, that is a vital room to know the location of." Tabitha stops walking so she can get out her tablet and tap her fingers over its screen. "There. I just emailed you a list of the restrooms in this building and where you can find them."

"I appreciate that. But I do need to know---"

"We're here." Tabitha has halted in front of a set of double doors that are currently shut. "Can you guess what this room is?"

"Even I'm not that dense. I can read the big, bold letters on the door---CAFETERIA."

"Good boy. Now, I'm going to introduce you to American food." She pushes the doors open and steps inside just far enough that the doors won't smack into our arses. And she glances around as if she's hunting for something or someone. Finally, she grins and waves for me to follow her. "Come on, Spencer, this way."

"Yes, I'm coming."

But I need to jog to catch up to her. How can she move so fast in those heels? I still can't comprehend it. That's hardly my worst problem right now. I can't stop staring at her arse, the way those cheeks move, the way her hips are swaying. Tabitha has the most delectable bottom. Her entire body is deliciously sexy, and when she glances back to smile at me and hurry me up, those lips make me want to push her up against the nearest wall and devour her.

That's barmy. I'm a businessman, not a lecherous cretin.

Fortunately, I catch up to Tabitha and walk alongside her as we approach an empty table in the far corner of the cafeteria. It's hidden behind a large potted plant that almost qualifies as a tree. Yes, we now have privacy.

Bloody hell.

I pull out a chair for Tabitha. She smiles and sits down. But when I try to take the chair opposite her, she yanks it away before I can even think about sitting on it. I give in and sit beside her.

"Much better," she says. "We can talk more easily this way."

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