Page 3 of The Swap After Hours

“Give us a minute, please, Kelly,” Mr. Marshall said quietly. The tension behind it sent a shiver down my spine. Nodding, she stepped back out, shutting the door behind her.

Scooting his chair back, he stood. He was taller than I’d expected, and his perfectly tailored suit accentuated the broad stretch of his shoulders. My pulse sped up as he came around to my side of the desk and leaned against the edge of it, folding his arms across his chest. Everything about him commanded attention and he certainly had mine. “You aren’t Trevor Lewis?”

“N—no, sir.”

“What’s your name?”

I cleared my throat nervously. “Um…it’s Trevor Reed, sir.”

“Why are you here?”

“I work for Tech Solutions. I was sent here to do a drive recovery on your computer system,” I explained.

Understanding dawned in his eyes. “You’re with IT…and your name is Trevor. Same as the new PA that was hired for me.”

“Apparently so,” I murmured awkwardly.

He looked up at the ceiling as if asking the heavens to give him patience and let out a humorless laugh. “Unfuckingbelievable,” he said under his breath.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, not sure if I should stay there or get up and go. Right. I should leave. I grabbed my equipment bag which I’d set at my feet and stood, but his hand on my arm stopped me. A strange swooping feeling swept through my belly at his touch. Nerves, perhaps.

We were standing so close I could feel his body heat radiating through the thin layer of his dress shirt, could smell his scent—sandalwood, mint, and something else I couldn’t pinpoint but the mixture of all three was surprisingly pleasant.

Mr. Marshall reached for the pad of paper and held it up in front of me. “Why did you take these notes?”

I shifted from one foot to the other. “Because you told me to,” I answered weakly.

“But you knew that wasn’t your job. You could have refused.”

I shrugged. “Your meeting was starting, and you seemed like you really needed someone to take notes.”

I watched as he flipped through the pages, his eyes scanning over the words I’d written. “These are very…thorough.”

“I wasn’t sure what you needed exactly, so I just tried to get anything that sounded important,” I replied lamely.

Mr. Marshall tilted his head, regarding me for several long seconds. I tried not to fidget but found it extremely difficult under his piercing gaze. Finally, he spoke. “Name your price.”

“Excuse me?”

“How much would it take to have you come work for me?”

I stared back at him, dumbfounded. “Are you serious?”

“I never joke about business matters,” he said as he made his way around the desk and sat down. “I’m in need of a personal assistant and clearly the one that was hired for me isn’t going to work out. The position requires a lot of flexibility and dedication. Long hours, late nights, traveling as necessary.”

“I’m fine with all of that, but I’ve never been a personal assistant before. I wouldn’t know the first thing about doing that kind of job.”

He pointed to the notes I’d taken. “I think you’ve already proven you’re a fast learner, Mr. Reed.”

“Yeah, but?—”

“Whatever you make right now, I’ll double it.”

“You must be jok?—”

“Triple it then.”

My knees suddenly became weak. I sank back down in the chair, staring at him incredulously. “You’re actually serious.”

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