Page 16 of The Unplanned Wedding

“Oh,” I glance down at the laptop on the table and realize it’s not synced to the projector. The color on my cheeks heightens. “So sorry, I was meaning to do it before the meeting, but I got distracted.”

Next to me, the wanker chuckles. I stifle my own growl.

My boss’ jaw turns to granite. A muscle jumps at his temple. And his eyes turn to cold fire. Anger thrums in the air between us. He looks so scary that when I jump up and reach for the laptop, my arms tremble. I manage to get my emotions under control and concentrate on syncing the laptop with the projector.

Of course, it doesn’t. I sigh, then reboot the laptop.

Above me, my boss’ deep voice fills the room as he reels off the figures from the last quarter and outlines the plans for the next. Once more, I straighten, then walk past him to the projector and flick the device off and on. Nope. It doesn’t sync.

I sigh aloud. A bead of sweat slides down my spine. Everyone’s attention is on my boss, but it doesn’t take away from my feeling like I’m on show. It doesn’t take away from this need to prove to him that I can do this. I am more than capable of connecting this stupid laptop to this stupid projector.

I flick a glance in my boss’ direction, wondering if he’s noticed how hard I’m trying to please him? His focus is on the people gathered around the board room. Disappointment squeezes my chest. I look away, gather my thoughts and re-focus on the task at hand. More seconds pass. His dark voice washes over me, and I shiver. My fingers tremble. I sync the devices again, but nope, nothing projects onto the screen. My shoulders slump. I slink back to my seat and stare at the laptop.

“Why don’t I help you?” The Finance Director reaches for the laptop at the same time as me. Our fingers brush. I pull back my arm. He pretends not to notice and leans in close enough for our shoulders to brush. I move away, but he simply closes the gap between us until, once more, our shoulders touch.

“You see, this is how you do it.” In an exaggeratedly slow fashion, heproceeds to switch the computer off completely. “You count to ten, then re-start,” he explains like I’m a dimwit.What a turd. And his mansplaining? Grr!I curl my fingers into fists, resisting the urge to dump the glass of water in front of me on him.

I stare rigidly at the computer as he switches it on. While I wait for it to re-boot, I’m aware of my boss’s deep voice continuing to talk about the company’s new forays. When the computer blinks on. I let the Finance Director toggle the Bluetooth switch.

“Try it now,” he says in a condescending tone.OMG, how annoying.I jump up, walk over to the projector, and this time, the devices sync.Of course, they do.The figures from the laptop screen show up on the big screen, and my boss refers to them without a break in his narrative. I slink back to my seat, and when I sit down, the Finance Director pats my thigh.What the fuck?I sit ramrod straight, staring ahead. I'm so angry, I'm shaking. Then he leans in close enough for his breath to raise the hair on my temple. “Anytime you need another lesson in synching our devices, seek me out. I’d be happy to?—”

“Get out,” my boss thunders.

Without even looking at him, I jump up, spin around and begin to make my way to the exit.

“Not you, Ms. Donnelly.”

I blink, turn to find he’s staring at the Finance Director. “Out,” he seethes again.

The Finance Director frowns. “What do you mean? I was simply?—”

In a move that’s so quick, he seems to blur, my boss is on his feet. He reaches over, grabs the collar of the Finance Director, and hauls him up. “Security will escort you out.”

“Hold on, what is the meaning of this, Davenport?” he blusters.

The door to the meeting room opens, and two security guards walk over to him. They grab each of his arms and begin to haul him off.

“There’s been a mistake,” he cries.

My boss ignores him. “Make sure he’s never seen on the premises again,” he orders the security guys.

“B-but what happened?” the wanker stutters.

My boss turns on him. He fixes the wanker with his cold gaze. Silver sparks flash in his eyes. They’re stormy cobalt pools swirling with so muchemotion, I flinch. He could be Loki, ready to wipe out his enemy. Satan, ready to scorch everything his gaze touches. Anger pours off him in waves. He’s not the unfeeling brute I thought him to be. All that emotion is boiling under the surface, looking for an outlet.

Oh, to be at the receiving end of it would be so erotic.The thought makes me feel faint.

“What did I do?” the Finance Director blurts out again.

“What didyoudo?” My boss’ voice is low, almost casual. But I hear the ominous tone like thunder rumbling in the distance. He continues to glare at the Finance Director, who wilts under his scrutiny.

He swallows, then seems to find his bearings, for he puffs out his chest. “Y-yes, I want to know what I did?”

“You talked down to my assistant. You disrespected my assistant. You patronized her. You belittled her. You humiliated her. You invaded her personal space. You came onto her in front of the entire team.”

I listen, thunderstruck. All the oxygen seems to have been sucked out of the room. The pressure in the space seems to dip, and there’s this sense of impending doom. Like a massive storm is about to break over us.

“How dare you touch her when she was, clearly, uncomfortable?” His voice is so cold, so diamond-hard, so filled with rage, it sends a pulse of liquid heat shooting through my veins. Seeing my boss angry on my behalf is like sinking my teeth into the darkest, most bitter, most decadent chocolate cake. No, it’s betterHe noticed what the other guy was doing. He was aware of just how much the wanker was patronizing me. How he was coming onto me. He. Noticed. Me. And now, he’s standing up for me? Oh. My. God.I grip the edge of the table with such force, pain shoots up my arm.

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