Page 14 of (Un)Planned

I watched as she gathered her things, a new ache opening in my chest. What was it about Calla that elicited this guilt? I’d been brash with assistants before, but it never caused any sort of reaction. I couldn’t let her leave just yet.

“It’s Theo.” I waited for her to turn back around to face me. When she stopped, I continued. “You don’t have to call me Mr. Ayad. Theo works just as well. And next time, you can use my office speakers.” I pointed to the wall. “Much better sound quality.”

“Next time?” Calla furrowed her brow.

“That you want to stay late.” I glanced up at her. “But please, no more Ivy Abrams. If I never hear that song again, it’ll be too soon.”

“Oh, crap.” Calla clapped her hand to her forehead. “I completely forgot. Listen, no offense to Adam, but this album isamazing. If she’s looking for an agent, you should try to recruit her. The girl is blowing up.”

“Oh, I’m aware,” I groaned, sinking into my chair. “But I doubt after our last few conversations that Ivy would be interested in joining forces. Besides, I would never do that to Adam.”

“Aww, Theo,” Calla crooned, stepping to the other edge of my desk. I hated how much I loved hearing her say my name. “There is a heart under all that Armani.”

“They installed it with my software patch.” I tapped my chest. “Just have to figure out how to turn the damn thing off.”

“What?” Calla’s mouth hung open in surprised delight. “A heartanda joke? Oh, Theo…” She shook her finger at me. “You’re going to have the ladies lining up if you keep this going.”

I shook my head. “Out, Calla.”

She winked at me as she crossed the room, stopping in the doorway. “Don’t worry, Sunshine. It’ll be our little secret.”

SEVEN

The past two weeks were a blur. Ever since the other agents started filling the empty desks, there was a life in the office that wasn’t there before. While I was beginning to love the constant sound of ringing phones, the bustle that echoed through the halls, I had mixed feelings about their arrival. Many of the senior agents were intimidating, and the younger ones who filled the bullpen by my desk were looking to make a name for themselves. As the gatekeeper to the boss, they went out of their way to make a good impression on me, but with them constantly stopping by to “check in,” it was hard to focus on my own work.

When I imagined my ideal career, being someone’s assistant never crossed my mind, however, being here and watching how much went into starting this office from the ground up was a unique experience. I’d quickly gotten used to being by Theo’s side, observing as he built his dream team. And although he never voiced it out loud, it seemed like Theo was beginning to trust me as well.

Last week, he hired a professional to finish what I started, but he pulled me into every meeting, checking if Iapproved before he signed off on any of her choices. It was nice to feel important, like someone valued my opinion. Slowly, the office stopped feeling like a dentist's waiting room and more like an actual, functional workplace.

I grabbed my files from the copier, stopping to greet Eloise, the new receptionist. I wasn’t sure, but Eloise and I had to be around the same age. She was a recent transplant from the Midwest, following her boyfriend as he started a new career. Theo was against hiring her at first, thinking she’d be too soft to handle angry clients, but somehow, I’d managed to convince him to give her a chance.

Usually, we were very friendly with each other. However, today, the way she was looking at me made my stomach flip. Eloise grimaced as I reached her desk, and passed me a stack of pink messages.

“All Natalie?” I scanned the first one, matching her sour expression when I saw Theo’s ex-wife’s name on almost every single slip. “How many times did she call?”

“Twelve,” Eloise answered. “And let me tell you, that woman has a mouth on her. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone use the f-word so many times in one breath.”

“Remind me to introduce you to my best friend,” I chuckled. “Thanks for handling her. If she calls again, direct it to my line. I’ll make something up.”

I waved goodbye as I took the stack, oddly curious about why Natalie was so desperate to talk to Theo. From what I could tell, he never called her back, barely ever bothering to read her messages. As much as it was none of my business, I was dying to know what had happened between them.

But as I rounded the corner toward Theo’s office, the sight on the other side of the room pulled all the thoughts from my head. Theo was standing in the middle of his office, stripping off his jacket. He then tossed it on the back ofhis chair before rolling up the sleeves of his button-up. If you looked up forearm porn in the dictionary, this scene would be a perfect example. My mouth ran dry as I scanned his body, wishing I could feel his arms around me.

I cursed the person who decided to make the walls of his office out of glass.

When it was just the two of us, I had free range to work wherever I felt like. But now that most of the other desks were taken, I was confined to the one right in front of Theo’s office, which meant that, all day, I could see him as he worked.

Which was a major distraction.

No, Calla. Lusting after your boss is the worst thing you could do right now. You are just finding your footing in this city.I was also getting accustomed to having a paycheck and using it for luxuries like food and clothing.

This ridiculous crush needed to stop. Not only was the man my boss, but he was also a workaholic and cold—not my type at all. Maybe it sounded conceited, but I never went for guys who were hard to get. I liked my men to be obsessed with me, never making me wonder what they were feeling. Too bad no one had come close to meeting my ridiculously high standard.

The only one who had come close was my high school boyfriend, Gray. He treated me like a queen until the day he graduated, moving to Seattle to follow his baseball dreams. And while I could look back now and know that what we had was nothing more than puppy love, he’d set the bar pretty high.

Maybe that was why I hadn’t had a real relationship in the past eight years. Sure, there had been plenty of short-term ones and a few situationships I wasn’t exactly proud of, but there hadn’t been anyone I’d let myself fall for.

It wasn’t that I was opposed to falling in love, but also I wasn’t willing to settle. With the little I knew about Theo, he’d never be able to give me what I wanted. He was too jaded, too set in his ways. Sure, he looked like he was carved out of my deepest fantasies, but having a fling with my boss would be aterriblelife choice.

---