Page 5 of Overtime
Boss who is NOT a lady
I may need your help urgently. Stand by.
I emote with a thumbs-up and set my phone down.
Back to my so-called studies. College or adult romance is a lot more physical than a typical YA romance, and not just because there may or may not be intimate scenes. It’s just that when you’re a certain age, you’re a bit bolder. You know what’s what. Longing stares and blushing while holding hands isn’t enough. You want toknowthe other person inside and out, and it’s always easier to start with the outside first.
Which is why checking out Aran Rodriguez is book research.
I use the old trick of stretching my back to scope out the situation. He’s not paying attention to me whatsoever, as expected. A thick textbook now lays spread out by his laptop, and he runs his finger softly across the page while he reads. Huh, I wonder what that feels like against skin.
Wow, okay. Now I’m being a creep for sure.
Be objective, Maddie.
Okay, so he’s big. He needs extra space to sit, which at least I can relate to, even if, in my case, it’s more girth than height. And he drinks protein shakes while he studies. What else is useful?
His mechanical pencil looks tiny in his hand as he makes notes directly on the textbook. What a monster. I would never dare to deface a book. But that’s not a fact I can use. He’s a leftie, and that’s not a big deal either. He pauses to twirl the writing instrument between his fingers at a speed I could never achieve. Okay, so even his fingers are athletic. That may be a useful fact.
Heat explodes in my face at the image my brain conjures. I am definitely a creep now, but I still make a saucy note in my journal about how an elite athlete may use his deft hands away from the court. Or the pitch. Whatever it’s called.
My phone buzzes again, and I grab it at the speed of light, now desperate for a distraction from my own thoughts.
Boss who is NOT a lady
Okay, I do need you.
Wyatt won’t make it in time for the new student appointment.
I’m switching you around.
It’s a command, not a question. After working for Melinda for a couple of years, I know that when she says something like this, it means she already checked my timetable and it works. I trust her. Plus, she also knows I’m desperate for more students.
Me
I’m game.
Boss who is NOT a lady
Great, let me confirm that the student agrees too.
So, I already stretched. How do I make sure the subject’s attention is still elsewhere?
A cough!
I twist toward his side, away from the more populated right side of the table, and fake a cough into my inner elbow. Thankfully, he’s chugging down his green shake and doesn’t catch sight of my smooth move.
Oh. My. Word. I didn’t know a human could have so many neck muscles. Is his whole body chiseled like that? Why must we be smack dab in the middle of winter? If he weren’t wearing the thickest hoodie known to humanity, I’d see the answer easily. His Adam’s apple bobs as he drinks, and for some reason, that makes my face heat up even more.
But then I freeze.
Dark eyes find mine above the rim of his shaker bottle.
Crap.Crap.
I’ve been caught.
I cough—this time it’s for real, because I’m choking on my own saliva.
