Page 26 of Fierce-Zander

Miles laughed and stood up. “My point. You need to get some action. Even if it’s just a date. Talk to the opposite sex some,notin a work capacity.”

“I’m talking to you,” she said smartly.

“And we know I’d be hunting the same guy you are, so I don’t count.”

She laughed again. “You just made my day,” she said. “Thanks for that.”

He took another one of his bows. “Always at your service. I’m going to lock up. Unless you are going to leave with me?”

“I planned on getting caught up on my notes before I go home so that I can disconnect there.”

“To watch that...drama?”

“Nope,” she said.

“Tell me what,” Miles said.

“Fine,” she said. “Survivor.”

“Gurlllll, I could totally see you onSurvivor.”

“No,” she said. “Never. I like the comforts of home way too much.”

“ThenThe Amazing Race. You and Kellen. Get out there and see the world. Just let it all go for a few weeks. Or better yet, with some hot guy that is good in a stressful situation.”

Miles’s eyes went back to the wall toward Zander’s office.

“Are there magnets in my walls and on your eyeballs?” she asked. “I’m waiting for your head to whip around and your face to be sucked against the wall.”

“If there were magnets in the wall and my eyes, I’d pop them out and put them in your hand so that you would be pushed through it. Maybe your hand would land somewhere special and you could reach out and grab a piece of...ass.”

“Go,” she said, pointing to the door as she laughed. “Leave me to my notes. You’re not obvious at all.”

“Who said I was trying not to be?” Miles said, letting out an exaggerated huff. “I’ve been obvious since the day I got into my mother’s makeup at age five. Or maybe it was at age six and I was saying how cute the boy bands were and not listening to their music.”

“You’ve got some great parents by the sounds of it,” she said. “You’re very lucky.”

“I am,” Miles said. “In more ways than one.”

“Meeting me,” she said. “I know.”

“You don’t lack any self-awareness,” Miles said. “Go put it to some real use.”

She shook her head as her employee left and locked the door. She must be good at fooling people for him to think she didn’t lack self-awareness. She might know who she was, but it wasn’t always the confident person she portrayed.

Was he right? Should she loosen up some?

She didn’t think she was uptight, but maybe she was a tad bit...boring.

Yep, that was it.

She internally criticized her parents for having an image and yet maybe she was doing the same thing without knowing.

8

HATE BEING PLAYED

Zander heard a knock at the door to his office entrance. Must be his dinner that was later than normal.

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