Page 174 of Tell Me What You Want

He drops his briefcase on my desk, leans over, and gives me a kiss on the lips that stuns both my supervisor and the new admin.

“Good morning, Jude,” he says after that much-desired kiss. “Are you feeling OK?”

A little taken aback by his welcome, I don’t know where to look, but I can tell Eric is trying not to laugh. Finally, I smile.

“Good morning, Eric; I’m good and ready to work.”

Delighted that she’s now in the know, my supervisor says, “You two make a beautiful couple.”

Liar! I can see in her eyes that she doesn’t think so at all.

“Thank you,” responds Eric.

My supervisor looks me over from head to toe. It’s clear she can hardly believe what she sees.

“Oh, and what a beautiful ring! Is that what I think it is?”

Eric takes my hand and kisses my knuckles. “A diamond for my precious gem,” he says.

His words make me blush, especially given how those two are looking at me. Finally, after an awkward silence, my supervisor turns to me.

“Judith, this is Eric’s new admin. Her name is Claudia Sánchez, and she’s my little sister. She’ll take your place when you transfer to Germany.”

I’m flabbergasted ... Why didn’t she tell me when she introduced herself? And moreover, why are they making plans without talking to me?

“She’s very efficient, that’s for sure,” adds Eric.

That compliment bothers me, but I feign otherwise.

“Thank you, Mr.Zimmerman,” the young woman responds, obviously delighted with the attention. “I’m glad to hear you’re satisfied with my work.”

I know that sly little smile. It’s just like her sister’s, and I know it won’t come to any good. I watch as she licks her lips when she looks at Eric, and that irritates me.

“Claudia’s very clever,” says my supervisor. “Claudia, tell Judith how many languages you speak.”

The young woman blinks and touches her hair.

“German, French, English, Russian, and a little Chinese.”

“Impressive,” says Eric.

Wow, the girl’s a wonder ... but if she keeps licking her lips, she’s going to end up choking on them.

They talk right over me for a good bit while I observe how she smiles up at Eric. It’s clear she’s into him, and in a way, I understand. Who wouldn’t like Eric? He finally finishes the chat and disappears into his office. But when her office phone rings and she ends up closing his office door behind her, I’m more upset than ever.

I can barely look at my computer. I’m much too aware of Eric’s office. Two minutes later, Claudia emerges.

“I’m going for a cup of coffee for my boss,” she announces.

When she leaves, I get up and sneak into my boyfriend’s office.

“What are you doing offering my job to someone else without talking to me about it?” Eric doesn’t answer. “When were you going to tell me you have a new admin?”

Eric drops the pen he was holding.

“There’s a problem, Jude?”

“No, I don’t have a problem, but from what I can tell, you seem to have a problem telling me things.”

---