Page 8 of The Cocky Neighbor

Eric gulped at my words, but the way his eyes were blown into black told me that he wasn't intimidated. I would dare guess that helikedme talking to him like this, and that was very interesting.

He nodded, seemingly lost for words as he lowered his head to avoid my gaze. I hooked a finger under his chin to force him to look back at me. "I'm still waiting for your reply, Wells."

"Yes, sir," he said with a hint of raspiness in his voice.

I smirked and turned to the door."Do a good job, and I might just reward you," I threw over my shoulder as I walked out without waiting for him to reply.

I probably should have left without saying anything, but something about that man made me lose control of my actions. There were times where it seemed like he was trying to irritate me on purpose, then others he seemed so docile like he was waiting to be dominated. It didn't matter which one was his true character, because I was starting to find them bothirresistible. And that was amajorproblem.

As I walked out of the hotel to head to the company office, I vowed that I would avoid spending time alone with Eric in the future. It wouldn't be too hard since I could have Ava come with me whenever I needed to meet him. This was an issue that wouldn’t turn into a problem.

* * *

"What? You need to take the next couple of weeks off?" I said to the woman sitting on the chair across from me. Ava and I were going over some documents when she threw out that little bomb. She found out today that her sister was going to have surgery done tomorrow and needed someone to look after her. Her sister had tried to find someone else since Ava lived on the other side of the country, but couldn't find anyone who could provide the level of help she needed.

Ava must have seen the shock on my face as her brows furrowed in worry. "Is everything okay? Do I need to cancel my flight tonight?"

"Fuck, no, don't do that. Your sister needs you right now, and there's nothing more important than that." I leaned back in my chair and ran a hand through my hair. "Sorry, I was just surprised. I can handle things here, so don't worry and focus on your sister."

She studied me for a few seconds before speaking up, "Are you sure everything is fine?"

"God, yes, I'm sure. You may think otherwise, but I am perfectly capable of surviving without you," I teased with a grin. The only problem would be having to figure out how to avoid being alone with Eric now that I didn't have Ava as a buffer. It would be a lot more difficult, but it wouldn't be impossible.

She snickered and shot me a look. "Okay, you keep telling yourself that." We both knew that she was the one who kept my life organized and from spiraling out of control. Ava was magic with time management and at tackling the miscellaneous tasks that I didn't have the patience to do. After working together for years, she was probably the person who knew me the best. This was usually a great thing when it came to business, but not so much in other areas.

"Are you perhaps getting all tangled up about a certain new manager that you're working with?" I flung my head toward her at her question. My eyebrows were probably raised so high they touched my forehead.

"I have no clue what you're talking about." Feigning innocent wouldn't work, but it could give me a few seconds to compose myself.

As expected, Ava snorted and crossed her arms in objection. "I’m insulted that you think denial would work on me. I saw how you looked at Eric Wells yesterday. Others might not have noticed, but you can't escape these eyes," she said as she used her forefinger and middle finger to point at her eyes then mine as if to say "I'm watching you."

I laughed, probably a bit too loud if the startled man walking past my office window was anything to go by. If he could hear it through my closed office door, either the soundproofing in our building needed work or I needed to quietdown.

"Okay, fine. You got me, but I know better to shit where I eat, much less with someone working directly under me. It doesn't matter how hot I think he is, I'll be a good boy and keep it in my pants," I joked, trying to lighten the mood even though this was anything but.

"You would be greatly criticized if anyone found out," she reminded. She spoke as if me sleeping with Eric was a sure-fire thing, and I didn't know if I liked that.

"I'm hurt that you have no faith in me," I grumbled.

She sighed and started gathering the papers that were scattered on my desk. "It's hard when the man is exactly your type and seems to hold the same attraction as well."

"You think he's attracted to me too?" I asked, mostly just to hear someone else say it. I already had my suspicions, but it was always nice to confirm that those thoughts weren't just in my head.

Ava stopped her movements and narrowed her eyes at me. "That's exactly the reason I'm worried. Look at how happy you are just hearing that Mr. Wells might also be interested in you."

"Hey, who doesn't like hearing that a hot dude might be into them?" I argued, but I knew that wasn't the point Ava was trying to make, but I wasn't going to admit just how much Eric Wells had gotten under my skin. "Don't worry about me and just focus on your sister. I have a handle on everything."

I wasn't going to let a silly little attraction jeopardize anything.Now I just had to put my money where my mouth was.

EIGHT

LIAM

"Is it good?" I asked, giving the precious cat a pat on the head. She accepted it without any resistance, making me wonder if the cat belonged to anyone at the hotel.

I found the little kitty when I was roaming the grounds earlier that day. I was inspecting the back structure of the hotel when she wandered out from the forests that lined the back of the building. She immediately came up to me, rubbing her body on my leg as she cried for food. She was too affectionate to be a feral cat, but the dirt smattered all over her body proved her familiar to the outside elements.

I couldn't say no to her adorable meowing, so I'd left to buy some wet food for her. She ran back to me as soon as I opened the can and poured the cat food on a paper plate.

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