Page 131 of Inflame

Maxwell has been quiet since confronting the girls at the café, and I can only hope that he learned that they are untouchable by the financial message Graham and I sent to him. He can think he is master of the stock market, but he is not master of the clients in this city. Our connections run deep, and there are numerous people who still owe us favors.

I’m sitting at the island, sipping on my first mug of coffee for the day when Claire sneaks up behind me and wraps her hands around my torso. She is warm and smells freshly washed.

“You smell delicious,” I say smoothly. “Good enough to eat.”

“I’m going to get used to your shower,” she says, kissing my neck.

I swallow the sip of coffee and spin around so I can take a good look at her. As expected, she looks stunning. The girl can wear anything and look great, but there is something about a tailored knee-length dress that makes me wonder what is underneath. Did she select lace thigh highs today? Maybe a silk bra?

“How much more time do you need?” I ask, kissing her on the lips. They are soft. Plump.

“I just need to do my hair,” she says, reaching around and grabbing a forkful of melon from my plate.

“I can make you more. I also ordered more of those muffins you like with the almond butter. Oh, and some of those overnight oats bowls.”

“With the acai berries?”

“Yup.” How could I forget? Claire nearly jumped for joy the first time she found the packaged bowl in my fridge. I can only imagine her reaction to a real gift. I load up a chunk of melon on my fork and offer her another bite.

Claire puts her hand up in protest. “No, I’m good. My stomach is nervous this morning.”

I frown over her words. “What’s going on?”

Her sigh is an obvious signal of her stress. When Claire is anxious, she tends to hold in her breath and then let it out with an audible exhale. She has done this three times already this morning, so she must have a lot on her plate today.

“Just a big day at work. It is one of those planning days that may change our direction, depending on how the discussion goes.”

“Any way I can relieve some of the stress for you?”

“No,” she says with another big exhale, “I just need to face this head-on. I have a fear of failure that comes out when I pressure myself to be perfect.”

“Sometimes there is beauty in the imperfections of life.”

She nods and smiles. “I couldn’t agree more.” Her mind seems to be elsewhere, and I wish I knew what she was thinking.

I smooth out her dress around her hips. “You look amazing in this shade of green. Brings out your eyes.”

Claire’s face lights up. “Thank you,” she mouths, her words getting stuck in her throat.

I kiss her on her nose. My fingers touch her dark and silky hair. “For what it’s worth, I think you should leave it down today. Just get the dampness out, so you don’t get sick. It is a chilly morning.”

* * *

I walk Claire into Hoffman Headquarters and bypass the security checkpoint all together. I have hired basically a new crew, eliminating every previous worker who appeared too wet behind the ears or disloyal. No matter how many chances I gave Kevin and Leo to prove themselves to me, they did not rise up to the challenge and got replaced. Their infatuation with Claire was enough to send them packing. In addition, I was harboring resentment over the lobby encounter and my opinion was forever tainted from it. Overall, I downsized the security head count by half. The fewer people who know about our operations here, the better.

I have only been here for a few weeks as the official Head of Security and already I have made a name for myself. I would like to think that I am formidable but fair. However, based on the number of jaw ticks I witness as I arrive every morning to the building, I imagine there are also a few choice words attached to my unrelenting demands.

Not one incident has occurred with Claire entering or exiting the lobby. Most days, I am rolling in with her beside me, and only those wanting to apply for unemployment would want to interfere with my morning ritual. There have been a few rare times that Claire came in after me, sleeping in after an exhausting night in my bed. Nonetheless, everything has been smooth.

“I will see you later,” she says, getting on the elevator.

I want to say something more to her. To tell her that if she needs me, to text and I will be right there. I know today will be an emotionally draining day for her, but yet the words that I should say get stuck in my throat. So, instead, I just retreat into my main floor office and offer her a simple platonic wave—as if we are just friends.

I check a few of the alarm systems for breaches and find pleasure in knowing that since I have been on board, there has been nothing shady happening. I close and lock the door and make my way up to my central office, where I conduct most of my business.

Getting off the elevator, I notice Graham sitting behind the desk where my personal assistant really should be—if I ever get around to hiring one. I have narrowed down the résumés to three potential candidates but have been putting off the interviews all week.

“Wasn’t expecting to find you here this morning,” I say, leaning my back against the wall. “Rough night in the Kingdom of Paradise?”

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