Page 18 of A Night of Indulgence and Sloth
“We don’t know that. And I sure as hell don’t know how to act around him.”
“Oh my God. You’re tempted by the boss, aren’t you? You little minx! I say go for it. Or if you must insist on denying yourself, at least give working with him a real shot. Don’t give up just because you’re scared.”
“Do you know how annoying it is to have such a wise little sister?” I gripe, plating our food and bringing them to the table.
“Oh, just shut up and eat.”
Kaleb
She didn’t quit.
Even after learning that Wes and Aiden were the same person. And that only made me want her more.
The image of her flushed face reappears in my mind. She’d practically rushed out at the end of the day, and after talking with Aiden, we knew a little distance between the two might help her comfort level.
We both wanted her. Not just as our assistant either, though it seemed like she’d be able to handle us both in that regard. Just like she did at the club. But we also knew that whatever the hell she’d gone through, whatever demons clawed at her insides, we didn’t want to cause any more unease than she was already experiencing.
This meant changing up our current travel schedule so that Aiden would meet with clients this week while I stayed at the office. After how she reacted to only half a day with Aiden present, we both doubted she could handle an entire week with only him. Hell, if we did that, she’d probably quit before the week was out.
So instead, I’d forgo the travel and show her the ropes. She still hadn’t figured out that I was Fitz, and if I was a less confident man, I’d be worried. We’d never planned for her to see our faces and now that she knows about Aiden, we’re in unfamiliar territory with just how to handle this.
I had expected to find her letter of resignation on my desk when I arrived on Tuesday morning, but instead I found her there early, going through our client contracts.
“Good morning. You’re here early,” I say, unlocking my office door and heading inside to set down my things.
She blows out a breath, slouching slightly. “I came early, hoping to use the pool or gym downstairs, but ended up forgetting my card. By the time I went home and grabbed it, it made more sense to just start going through these contracts.”
“If you’re not used to the card, it’s definitely an adjustment.” I chuckle, leaning against the doorframe of my office. “If it happens again, just ask someone at reception for a temporary card. If they aren’t there, shoot me a text. I’m usually here early anyway.”
I stride to my desk, snatch up one of my business cards, and head back toward her, grabbing a pen to put my personal cell number on it. “Here. Most of the staff have a lanyard or retractable clip for their cards too. Feel free to order one from the company account.”
She blushes, accepting the card from me and placing it inside her purse. “Thank you. To be honest,” she says, fidgeting with the strap of her purse, “being alone up here gave me a chance to try out that machine without an audience.”
Lily shoots a glare at the espresso machine, and I can’t help but laugh. “Oh no. What did he do this time?”
She leans back, grabbing the hem of her shirt and pointing out a wet spot. “He spat on me.” Defeat lines her voice, yet her eyes spark with challenge and, goddamn, it’s hot.
I turn toward the machine, giving it what I hope is a disappointed dad look and promise her I’ll talk to him. Fuck, this woman does things to me. We’re talking about a machine as if it’s a kid, and I should feel embarrassed or awkward, but it just feels normal. Like she not only understands my quirky nature, but appreciates it too.
“Can I watch you make one? Maybe I’ll do better if I watch how you handle him again.”
“Sure. Come see the master at work.”
The week passed in a blur. When I wasn’t in meetings, I spent most of Tuesday with Lily. We went over the calendar, our alternating travel schedule, and I answered her questions about the client contracts she’d been reading.
It was amazing to observe the way her brain worked, firing on all cylinders to process new information and always asking questions. This was a curious woman, one who wanted to understand everything, to help find new ways of doing things, and was always willing to lend a hand.
Wednesday had been brutal. The only saving grace was the accidental meet-up with Lily before work. I’d been doing laps in the pool when she showed up in a one-piece swimsuit that would have knocked me straight off my feet if I hadn’t been treading water. Even with a bathing cap and no makeup, she was gorgeous. How she managed to fit all of that dark hair under a little cap was beyond me.
We swam before work today too, this time even racing a little before I got out to put in a few reps with the weights. She’d been so excited to try out the juice bar after each swim as a little reward. The moan that escaped her pretty mouth when she’dtried their special Watermelon Wiggle smoothie damn near had me exploding on the spot.
After that, work kept both of us on our toes, but Lily proved once again just how integral she was to our team, and it was only her first week. She took it upon herself to get things for us before we even knew that we needed them. Not just for me, but for Aiden too. When she found out that he was trying to wine and dine a very important potential client of ours, she dug deep and uncovered information that ended up saving us from a total disaster. It’s definitely not a good idea to take the deathly-allergic-to-seafood client on a private deep sea fishing tour. It was too soon to tell, but she might have just saved our asses and won us a client.
A knock on my door has me looking up to find Lily behind the glass. At my nod, she opens it.
“Someone from City Council is on the phone for you. Shall I patch them through or tell them you’re unavailable?”
“Tell them I’m unavailable until tomorrow afternoon, if you don’t mind. I know what they want, but I don’t quite have all the pieces together yet.”
