Page 23 of Obsession

Chapter Nine

“Don’t mind him.”

I glanced up at Jack. “I sort of threw him under the bus with Mr. Lewis. I didn’t mean to, but there seemed to be a moment there where Donovan was going to either play it safe or really get invested in the company.”

“You’ve got good instincts, Blondie.”

“Not you, too.”

“Vi started it. I can’t help it. Now it’s stuck in my head.”

“What if I change my hair color?” I asked.

“Don’t. You’ve got that perfect beachy gorgeousness mixed with class. It’s extremely appealing.”

My eyes widened.

“Don’t worry, I’m not hitting on you. It’s just an observation. I don’t pluck babes out of the work pool.”

“That’s probably more because you just called me ‘babe’.” I grabbed my small purse out of the drawer.

“Maybe.” He flashed a rakish—yes, in this instance, it actually fit—smile at me. “Probably not though.”

“Incorrigible.”

“Yeah, that’s a word Vi uses too.” Jack waggled his brows. “Ready to blow this joint?”

I nodded. “I’m dead on my feet.” Sleep had definitely not been my friend for weeks now, but I was going to have to figure out something, or I’d never keep up with Mr. Carson.

We rode the elevator down, and George and Violet were both at the desk when we got to the lobby.

“Love of my life, what are you doing for dinner tonight?”

“Anyone and anything except you, pal.” Violet threw him a bright smile. “I actually have a date.”

“Holy shit. Is the world ending?”

Violet went to a small safe behind the desk. “Keep it up, Jack. I know how to break into your cell phone. The damage I could do would be epic.”

Jack pressed his hand to his chest. “You wound me.”

“I speak truth.” Violet held out a badge and a keycard of some sort to me. “Here you go, Blondie. Make sure you have that badge on you at all times, or you can’t get into the building or the elevator. It’s chipped for certain areas of the building only.”

“Thanks.” I flipped around the badge, and the picture wasn’t too horrible. “What’s the card for?”

“Parking.”

“Oh, really? Bless you.”

Violet grinned. “Since you work with the boss man, you get to have parking. Mostly because he’s going to kill you with the hours.”

I laughed. “So, I’ve gathered.”

“Do you want a ride to your car?” Jack asked.

I looked out the window. Dusk was fast approaching, but the rain had stopped. “I think I need the walk. I’ll see you in the morning, though.”

He nodded and waved. “Good job. You’re just the shakeup we needed.”

---