Page 83 of Protecting Bianca

“Are you icing me out because of the photos Jager found on my computer? They were innocent pictures. I’ll even show them to you if you want.”

“I don’t want to see them, Jeremy. And since you brought it up, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t take any more ‘innocent’ pictures of me from now on.”

He shook his head and narrowed his eyes before leaving the room.

I exhaled the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. The man made me uncomfortable, but I couldn’t place it on any one thing.

My phone pinged. The car had arrived. I shot a message over to the team and headed back to my office to grab my coat.

I picked up the black wool coat and felt a hand on my shoulder. “Are you heading out?”

I jumped despite his soothing voice. “I’m sorry. Today’s been a long day, and it’s only noon. I’m not feeling a hundred percent.”

“Maybe you should go home and rest.”

I ran my hand through my hair. “I wish I could, but there’s a lot to do before tomorrow. Besides, rest isn’t going to fix what’s going on. I need to find my own place, potentially fix my car with money I don’t have, and oh yeah, probably never speak to my mother again. Trust me, rest isn’t what I need. I just need a break.”

Jager cupped my cheeks with both hands.

“Jager, please. Someone will see you.”

“I want to help you. What can I do?”

“You can let me go so I can take care of business.”

He dropped his hands, and I felt his heart sink along with his arms. I looked down both sides of the hallway, ensuring no one was there.

Then I stood on my toes and kissed him hard on the mouth. “I just need time to get my shit together. I love you.”

He bit his lip, and his chest rumbled. “I love you, too. Let’s go out to dinner tonight. Come to my place after work at six.”

“Make it seven. I think it’s going to be a busy afternoon preparing for tomorrow.”

“All right, seven.”

He kissed me again, and I nearly melted in his arms. I pulled away, but he wouldn’t let me go. I wiggled out of his arms and untangled myself from his grasp. “Bye, babe.”

He winked. “Bye, babe.”

I scurried out of the office toward the elevator. I was in such a rush that I hadn’t realized I’d left my purse in the office until we were in the cab.

But I did catch the look on Jeremy’s face when he spotted me kissing Jager.

*

“Take those boxes and move them to the storage room. We need to tidy up the reception area before we move onto the next steps.”

Troy and Jackson picked up the empty boxes and took them away. Tanya helped me lift one of the high-top tables closer to the podium, should Mr. Towers need a sip of water during his presentation or refer to his notes. “Okay. Let’s walk through the event again. Everyone will come through these doors and a server will be here offering them a drink.” I pointed to the left of me. “Then one of us will greet them and usher them to some fellow journalists or influencers so they will have someone to talk to while they wait for the event to begin. Networking is very important at these events. Some people come just for that as they can get the press release emailed to them. So, make sure those introductions happen.”

“Got it,” said Tanya, making a note on her phone.

“If you’re not networking, then you’re not working,” a voice said behind me. The hair at the back of my neck stood on end. “I’m pretty sure Denis Waitley said that.”

Tanya looked over my shoulder. “Thanks,” she said cautiously.

I turned around. “What are you doing here, Jeremy?”

“What do you mean? I picked up the press releases and now I’m putting them together.”

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