Page 12 of Power

“But seriously. Feel free to order anything you want to your office. Here, catch!” He tossed me a snack bag, and I caught a glimpse of silver on his finger. It looked just like the ring Shyam wore.

“Gummy bears?” I asked, examining the bag in my hands. “Who orders gummy bears onthisfloor?” I chuckled. I couldn’t imagine any of the “suits” indulging in gummy snacks.

“The chefs are always prepared for any request. You’d be surprised at what you’ll find in here if you raid the pantry.” Jai placed his empty espresso cup in one of the sinks and led me back into the common area.

With my gummy bears in hand, we stopped at another glass door.38-F Amelia Becker.I opened my eyes wider to read it again, in case my eyes were playing tricks on me.

“Welcome to your new office,” Jai announced as he opened the doors and strolled inside.

My feet barely responded enough to bring me past the threshold. A gorgeous white desk with platinum legs stood at the far end. On top of the desktop were white and platinum accessories that matched each other perfectly.

Opposite the desk was a seating area with a dark-blue velvet sofa and a sleek glass coffee table. Two matching armchairs sat across from the sofa. It looked like a living room featured in an architectural magazine.

The far wall of the office was made up of tall windows. I stepped closer to them to peer at the view of the city. I could see yellow cabs zooming down the street and people hustling to get to where they needed to be.

“This must be a mistake,” I managed to say. This had to be a dream. “Are you sure I’m supposed to be in here?”

“Your name is on the door, isn’t it?” Jai replied coolly. He leaned against the wall, looking like a model with his hands in his pockets and one leg crossed over the other. “Let’s get IT on the phone and get your desktop set up, shall we?”

“Um, sure.” I wasn’t ready to stop staring out of the windows, but I gave in as I followed him to my new desk.

Chapter XI

Shyam

Work had been a shit show from the moment I stepped foot into the office this morning. The most recent data-tracking reports showed that Tarun’s network was growing rapidly on the West Coast and in the Midwest. We still had an extensive stronghold on the East Coast, but map data implied that his network was closing in on us at an alarming rate.

I had spent an hour on the phone with one of my men, going over logistics for our next product shipment toSpain. Saran had assured me that we were on track to finish production within in the next week and then ship directly from our port in Staten Island.

Since we were officially known as a tech company, we often shipped computer parts that we produced cheaply to hide our product in the cargo. This time, we planned to send ten crates of central processing units and monitors to conceal our product. We needed this shipment to be received without error if we wanted to break even.

With all the issues needing my attention, I had not been able to see Amelia yet. Security had alerted me of her arrival, but I had been tied up. I knew that Jessica had kept her busy all morning with orientation procedures. I looked at the clock—right about now, she should be with the IT department, setting up her computer. Just thinking about her stirred a desire to seek her out. To check on her. To touch her.

My need won out. Leaving my suit jacket hanging on the back of my chair, I pushed back from my desk and wandered out of the office to find my new employee.

As I approached her door, I heard a feminine laugh, followed by a deep male voice. I pushed my way in without knocking to announce myself.

Amelia was seated in front of her computer, while Jai hovered behind her with his elbow resting on the back of her chair. They were both looking at something on her monitor. Her face looked bright and relaxed as she looked up at Jai while he pointed to her screen. I had never seen her look so at ease. Every time she was around me, she seemed tense—even scared. Anger bubbled inside of me that Jai was experiencing a side of her that I had yet to see.

I slammed the door closed behind me, shaking the walls as the door hit the frame. Amelia and Jai turned their heads abruptly in my direction. The smile on her face quickly faded when she realized where the noise had come from.

“Hey, man. You found us.” Jai stayed hunched over her chair as he smirked at me. I didn’t appreciate his proximity to her, or the stupid cocky expression on his face.

“Why are you in here?” My voice was tight with anger I had failed to suppress.

“Just helping Amelia here get settled into her new office.” Jai lowered his gaze to her and gave her a wink. She smiled awkwardly back at him, unsure of how to react with the tension in the room.

My blood was boiling. Jai was a flirt by nature, which didn’t bother me. However, I didn’t like that Amelia was now the subject of his flirtation.

“Don’t we have an IT department to do that?” I barked.

“Why bother them when she could have the Chief Technical Officer of the company help her set up her hardware? Gotta make the new hires feel welcomed, you know,” he jested.

“Leave,” I growled.

Amelia clasped her hands in her lap and shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

Jai raised both of his hands in front of his chest in surrender.

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