Page 50 of By His Rule

Her lips twitch with amusement. “Oh, that.” She laughs. “I stole it,” she says simply, plucking it from my fingers before she reaches for her purse hanging over the back of her chair. “From your desk. Now, are we leaving or what?”

I stand there with my chin dropped as she sashays toward the elevator, ready to head out.

Melissa’s quiet laughter behind me fills the air and my temperature soars.

“Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you shouldn’t be giving her any chances. She’s got you pegged from day one.”

She’s still chuckling behind me as I march toward where Lorelei is waiting.

As I get to her, the elevator doors open and she steps inside with her head held high.

Unable to do anything else, I follow her, allowing the doors to close and cage us in.

The sweet scent of her perfume permeates the air, ensuring that my heart continues to race.

“That pen isn’t mine,” I blurt like a moron.

What I should do is ignore the whole thing.

Clearly, it was a joke. One at my expense. But a joke nonetheless.

“Is that right?” she muses, refusing to look me in the eyes despite the fact I’m glaring into hers. “What is the meeting we’re attending first? I would like a little heads up before walking in.”

“We’re meeting with our lawyer about a future investment. I’m going to need you to take notes.”

“Okay,” she agrees with a smug smile playing on her lips.

The sight of it irritates me instantly.

She knows she got to me with that pen stunt, and I fucking hate it.

“There weren’t any minutes about an investment. Anything else I need to know?” she asks as we begin to descend through the building.

“No.”

The second we hit the ground floor and the doors part, I stride out, leaving her to rush to keep up.

“Are we late or something?” she calls after I’ve greeted the doorman and come to a stop beside my car as Jamie, my driver, pulls the back door open.

“Afternoon, sir,” he greets as I climb in.

Jamie has been my driver for about a year, but no matter how many times I tell him to call me Kian, he refuses. A part of me loves it. Another part…not so much.

“Good afternoon, ma’am. I’m Jamie, Mr. Callahan’s driver,” he says politely behind me.

“Hi Jamie,” Lorelei says softly. “Please, call me Lori. I’m Mr Callahan’s new assistant.”

“How wonderful to meet you. I’m sure you’ll love working for Callahan Enterprises.”

“Oh, Mr. Callahan will make sure of that,” she all but sneers as she joins me in the back of the car a beat before Jamie closes us in.

Forced to suck in yet another breath laced with her scent, I turn to look out the window as she gets comfortable beside me.

With an efficiency I’m used to from Jamie, he swiftly pulls into the passing traffic in the direction of our lawyer’s office.

Ignoring my assistant, I pull my cell from my pocket and open a message I know is waiting for me.

Makenzie: I’m bored.

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