Page 117 of Inflame

“Already working on it.”

I glance back at the live camera footage I am able to extract from the patrol room and watch as Claire walks into the lobby and gets stopped immediately by several security guards. I’m unable to get the voice overlay but can tell she is frustrated.

“Is Angie here in the building?” I ask, glancing over to Graham who looks visibly stressed.

“No, why?”

“Just wondering why Claire would be here at this time.”

Graham looks at his phone and then mutters, “Well, Collins is bringing her here now as we speak. She cannot sit still and just relax.” He sighs. “Wants to work her ass off. Not for the money, granted, but for a sense of purpose. Her words, not mine. She means more to me than anything I possess here on earth. I try to express her worth and value to me daily. But she’s excited about this new business idea, and I love her too much to ever try to prevent her from exploring the things that may bring her joy.”

I get it. I have known my brother my whole life and seeing him with Angie has been a game changer. A small part of me misses caring about someone other than myself and my immediate family. The more rational side of me realizes that it’s for the best.

“So it’s a done deal that she will be launching a business with Claire here at HH?” I inquire, inwardly groaning at the added stress this new venture will create for me. Just knowing Claire is a few floors away will drive me insane. Seeing her sensuous body pop up all over the security feed will further my developing obsession. How am I going to get any actual work done when I’ll be constantly wondering what she is doing? Or what she is wearing underneath her work attire?

“Never met two more strong-willed women in my life. They are a pair to be reckoned with. Watch them completely pummel any competition and take this world by storm.”

“No doubt.” I stand up and make my way to the door.

“Keep me posted.”

I turn back and nod. “Will do.”

I shut the app down and head toward the elevator. Once it arrives, I hit the button for the lobby. I have a feisty little minx to deal with and brace myself for the impact.

33

CLAIRE

“I’m here to meet Angie Hoffman,” I state again, this time slower. “Angela. A-N-G—”

“We know how to spell it,” the guard snaps. “Very funny.”

There are two flanking me. One is tall and the other is short. Both are annoying and taking this lobby job way too seriously. I’m in disbelief that something like what I’m experiencing could happen at Graham’s place of work. Surely, he has better protocols in place than what I’m currently witnessing. I know I wind up on his shit list a lot, but I can guarantee he would not want me to be accosted like this. He may have a thing for control and all, but this seems highly unprofessional.

“Can you just get Graham down here to fix this?”

“Um, okay, sure,” the tall guard says, looking at his coworker and laughing. “We have heard this one before, right? What’s your name?”

I take a deep breath and count to five. “Claire Nettles.” I pull out my driver’s license and hand it over. “See? Just like my ID states.”

“Do you have a badge? Does Mr. Hoffman even know you are here?” the shorter guard asks, eyeing me with more than just suspicion. He is treating me like I’m some intruder or an enemy threat.

He and his teammate have been giving me a hard time for the past ten minutes. I reach for my phone to text Angie and immediately it gets torn from my hands. “Hey! You can’t do that!”

“Just did,” the tall guard states flatly, an evil glint in his eyes.

“Give it back,” I snarl. I’m trying hard not to make a scene, but it is difficult keeping my cool when I’m losing all my patience on these two stooges.

“There are lockers you can utilize. No phones allowed on the premises. Only those with special privileges are permitted,” the shorter one states bluntly, but examines my screen to see if I actually sent anything. They are having their fun going back and forth with their banter. “You aren’t special.”

I am being treated like a criminal and am shocked that Graham would find any of this interrogation appropriate. “Better figure out how you’re going to remedy this situation before I get you all fired. Turns out, I’m best friends with the CEO’s fiancée.”

“Ironically enough, we have heard that line before as well.”

I narrow my eyes at both. “How long have you both been working here?”

“Two weeks,” they both say in unison.

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