Page 46 of The Protégé

“Good morning,” I said, breaking the silence.

“Morning,” he replied.

“The floor seems quiet. Where’s your receptionist?” I jerked a chin to the front counter.

“He just left.” Orion closed the distance, now standing too close to me.

My heart rate increased, but I focused on something else. “Ralph’s your receptionist?”

“He’s a lot of things to me.”

“Ralph is an interesting man. He was there the day I dented your car. He told me to leave so I didn’t have to pay for the damages.”

“Why didn’t you?” His eyes sparkled.

“Trust me, that thought crossed my mind. But in the end, I had to do what was right.”

“Which was why I didn’t make you pay for the damages.”

I pursed my lips in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I saw you from the multiple cameras I have around the building, the ones in the streets, and the one embedded in my car. I heard your conversation with Ralph.”

“So you saweverything? Why didn’t you show up when it first happened?”

“I was on an important conference call.”

“While you watched a video of me?” I didn’t know what to think that he’d been watching me interact with his employee.

“I can multitask.” The corners of his mouth rose.

“And you offered me the job because . . .?”

“Because I needed your help. After the accident, you were honest. That’s something I respect.” He swallowed again. “I need to trust the people I work with.”

I understood this statement too well. Chantel had tried to sabotage my career multiple times, and I couldn’t trust my manager to help me.

“I completely agree. Are you the only person on this floor?”

“I like my space and solitude.” His eyes remained on me.

“I assumed you would have a whole team here helping you.”

“My team is working on various projects on the floors below us. This floor is my personal space.”

He sounded like a man who had built invisible walls around himself. What was he hiding?

“But there’s a lot of space here. Am I the only one working with you on the floor?” Nerves shifted in my stomach. If there were other people here, they could serve as a buffer. But now I was forced into this close space with him.

“Is there a problem with that?” He asked, sounding annoyed.

“No,” I said, wondering what triggered the mood change.A part of me thought he was attracted to me. I prayed the rest of the day would be a smooth one without unexpected mood swings. “What do you have on this floor?”

“Your office is this way.” He walked beside me. Our arms touched, and I didn’t move away, and neither did he. Our arms continued to brush against each other as though a silent understanding passed between our bodies.

This was silly. We were both testing each other’s limits. Who would be the first to break?

Orion didn’t seem like someone who feared anything.He seemed different around me.

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