Page 13 of Obsession

He nodded at the security guard. “Hiya, Stretch.”

Violet sighed. “Can’t even let her think we’re professional for one day?”

“Why bother? She already has to work with Blake. That’s enough to handle for anyone. She might as well know the rest of us are friendly.”

She crossed her arms and cocked her hip again. “Don’t mind this one. Blake isn’t bad, he’s just driven.”

“If by driven, she means an insane workaholic who doesn’t believe in sleep, then no—he’s not bad at all.”

“You love it, Jack.”

“Yeah, I do.” He waggled his brows. “See ya, Stretch. Thai for lunch?”

“Yes,” she said with a happy sigh. “I’ll have it here for two.”

Jack looked down at me. “You like Thai?”

Oh, it was my turn to talk. “Who doesn’t? Anything with chicken and spicy peanut sauce works for me.”

“See? She’s going to fit in just fine.” He put his arm around my shoulders and dragged me against him. “Okay, let’s go do this, shall we?” He peered down at me. “Did you forget your umbrella?”

“Today was so far past an umbrella, I gave up.”

He laughed. “Well, I’ll give you the three-cent tour. The bulk of Blake’s empire hinges on glass. We use it for security measures, both to shield and protect.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“Well, if you notice—the glass looks opaque from one side and translucent from the other.”

“Yes. It’s interesting.”

“Innovative, really.”

“What makes it so special? We already have tinted glass that does the same thing.”

His eyes crinkled at the corners. “Yes, but tinted doesn’t let in all the light that ours does. And it’s far more aesthetically pleasing for those who value their privacy and want something less dark and gloomy. We actually have a satellite office in California just to deal with the crazies out there.”

I tilted my head. “The Hollywood set?”

“Exactly. Add in the protection against UV rays, dirt, and smudges, as well as bulletproofing for those who want that sort of thing.”

My eyebrows shot up.

“Yeah. And I’m not saying that doesn’t exist already, but Blake created glass that can do all of it and be beautiful enough to use for an entire house.”

“Oh.” Well, that explained the billionaire status in a few short years. I’d noticed the non-smudge aspect the day before. “No washing windows?”

He grinned. “Thinking like a consumer.”

“Especially with all the glass in here.”

“Exactly. Most offices have a service come in to keep them looking tidy. Add in the security aspects we use for home and office, and you can see the appeal.” He tapped the button for the elevator. “The first six floors are sales, marketing, security, human resources, research and development—which is where Blake disappears to. So, if you ever need him and he’s not in his office, he’s usually on the fifth floor.”

“And the sixth?”

“That’s my domain. Personal security. We’re expanding there, and it’s my specialty.”

“Really?”

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