Page 16 of Company Ink

My eyebrows knit together in confusion. "No?" I say, scanning his face, which is full of genuine concern. "Why do you think something's wrong?"

"No reason." Adrian narrows his eyes and absentmindedly runs two fingers over his lips. "You've just looked a bit preoccupied since you came back from lunch."

My eyes light up, a warm sensation overtaking my entire body. "Have you been watching me Mr. Cavallero?" I ask, the words tumbling out of my mouth before I can stop them.

"Of course—" Adrian reclines back in his chair, giving me a once-over. "I always keep an eye on my staff."

I tilt my head coyly. "Lucky staff."

Adrian grins, twirling a pen between his long fingers. "Lucky eyes," he retorts casually, and I just about die right there and then.

I wish I could record this whole interaction and show Monique later. Maybe then she'll stop questioning whether or not Adrian is in the same boat as I am.

My chest rises as I clear my throat. "Well, now that we've established that nothing iswrong—is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Several things, but they can wait untillater," he says in an overtly suggestive tone. My pupils grow to UFO sized saucers and my mouth slightly hangs open. He did not just—oh shit. Is this office soundproof? I turn my head and look out the glass walls. Kitty and David are both hunkered down and focused on their work, something I should be doing. But instead, I'm standing here playing a wicked game of verbal footsie with my boss.

Fuck it at this point. "Define later?" I ask, crossing my arms. He seems to have a timeline in his head to which I'm not privy.

Adrian chuckles. "Patience is a virtue, Miss Carrington."

"So, I've heard." I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear, biting my lip. "Unfortunately, it seems as though I'm not very virtuous."

Understatement of the year based on this freaking conversation.

Adrian's eyes flicker with unreadable darkness. "Maybe that's something you should work on," he comments in a gruff tone.

My eyelashes flutter. "Are you sure you want me to? My way seems more funMr. Cavallero." At this point subtlety has gone out the window. I could get pregnant by the pheromones bouncing around this room.

Adrian sits still, not moving a muscle. Honestly, I'm not even sure if he's breathing. Either I've broken him or he's having a stroke. The pen he was so carelessly twirling a minute ago is now wrapped in a vice-like grip, causing his knuckles to turn white.

"You seem tense," I observe triumphantly. "Is something wrong?" I repeat his question, smiling wide with satisfaction.

"You're playing a very dangerous game, Cassie," Adrian finally says, staring at me with so much intensity that I take a step backward, my back hitting his office door.

My breath hitches.

"I like games," I admit in a whisper. "Because I always win."

Adrian's phone rings, startling me and snapping me back into reality. "I have to take this," he says in a controlled tone, reaching for the receiver. "I'll see you tomorrow. Don't forget that you're joining me for a client luncheon."

Crap, I forgot about that.

eight

close quarters

Either Janet had pregnancy brain, or she was deliberately trying to screw over her replacement, because when I called Miso Bella to confirm the reservation for today's lunch, they said they had no record of the booking. It took several minutes of faking sobs and talking to the manager, but I managed to secure a table for 1 pm. I was on the verge of going full blown Karen on their asses, but luckily, I didn't have to resort to mini-van mom hysterics.

Adrian emailed me a brief on the client we're seeing today. Alfred Chan aged fifty-seven. Owner of BluTech Research, one of the biggest manufacturers of pharmaceuticals in the country. Alfred and his wife Tiffany are essentially firm shopping, while they're visiting from Los Angeles. The Biotechnology industry is the largest market for Patent Law and seeing as Pearson & Associates is one of the top boutique firms in this field, Adrian is confident they'll decide to give us their business.

This lunch is basically a job interview which worries the fucking shit out of me. Not only does Adrian have to showcase the firm's success, but he also has to be able to connect with the Chan's on a personal level. Since I'm his PA, I'm there for...moral support? I'm not entirely sure, but Adrian did email me a list of topics to discuss with his wife. Maybe I'm the wife buffer? I'm allowed to keep the conversation on four topics: gardening (Maybe I'll talk about Stella), golf (Tiger Woods? That's the extent of my knowledge), travel (body shots in Thailand? I'll have to fudge those details a bit), and... fashion (I have this one in the bag). I'm assuming these topics were based off of extensive research done by Janet before she left. If I knew that creeping people's Instagram accounts was a marketable skill, I would've added it to my resume ages ago.

Being the overachiever I am, I always check my work email as soon as I wake up; it was a habit I picked up working at NVP. And a good thing too, because now I'm dressed in this season's latest Chanel pants suit and vintage Gucci heels, Mrs. Chan will give me one look and we'll become instant best friends.

When I told Monique about this impending outing, she gave me a giant lecture about presenting myself in a professional manner. Truthfully, I was offended that she'd think I'd make eyes at Adrian in front of potential clients. I'm extra but I'm not extra fucking stupid. Whatever it is that's going on between Adrian and me will come to fruition at some point, of that, I am certain.

Based on our last interaction I get the sense that Adrian isn't used to women being so forward. I'm hoping that my brazen advances will work out in my favor. This is the first time I've had to put so much effort into seducing a man; usually, I can get their mattress springs to squeak with just one look, granted I've never attempted to bed my boss before.

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