Page 131 of Midnights
Cam: That depends. Am I breaking any laws?
Me: I’ll let you know when I care.
Cam: I love it when you talk dirty to me.
Send me a name.
I exhale, letting the tension settle into something useful. Cam will find what I need, he always does. And in the meantime, I have shit to
A sharp knock on the door pulls me from my thoughts and Carrie walks in. She moves with the same unshakable confidence she always does, carrying a stack of papers balanced effortlessly in her hands. If she were any more capable, I’d be working for her.
“Hey, boss!” She chirps, flashing a knowing smile.
“What are you up to, Carrie?”
She narrows her eyes, tilting her head. “I’m great, Kane, thank you for asking. What do you want?”
I can't help but laugh. “What I want is for my secretary to do her job and not act like my boss.” I take the stack of papers from her. “And for the record, I do actually care about how you’re doing.”
Carrie snorts, clearly unimpressed. “Uh-huh. Sure, you do.” But then, her expression softens. “I spent the weekend looking for a dog.”
“Finally.” I shake my head, not believing what I'm hearing. “I was about to go out and buy you one myself. I’ve only heard you talk about getting a dog for what, three years now? I was starting to think it was a cover.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t lose her grin. “Good things take time.”
Carrie’s one of the few people I trust completely. Over the past six years, she’s more than proven herself. Handling everything from boardroom disasters to my worst hangovers with a kind of ruthless efficiency that would put most CEO’s to shame. She’s saved my ass more times that I can count and keeps my schedule, and my life, running smoothly.
If she ever tries to quit, Iwillbribe her. Without shame. Which is why I make it a point to stay on her good side.
“I’ve got a favor to ask,” I smile, handing her a folder. “But don’t worry, I come bearing gifts.”
She rolls her eyes, not buying it, but her curiosity wins. “Kane Robertson… this better be good.”
“I just need you to finalize the guest list and send it to Khloe. Double-check that everything is sorted. The cleaning crew, security, all of it. Maybe check with Khloe to see if she needs anything else.” I pause. “As for your present, it should arrive within the hour.”
“Oh, well if that'sall…” She rolls her eyes before laughing. “For your information, the guest list has been triple-checked, cross-referenced with ticket sales, and sent to Khloe.” She lifts a single brow, challenging me. “She also wanted me to inform you that she’sdeeplyoffendedyou’d doubt she had everything under control.”
“Of course she did,” I mutter, lips twitching.
“And, yes,” Carrie continues, “everyone with estate access has been contacted and confirmed, including security. And anyone new has had a background check done.”
I lean back, watching her. It’s almost unsettling how good she is at her job. Either that, or I’m becoming predictable, which is its own problem.
Before I can open my mouth, she holds up a hand. “Don’t eventhinkabout saying it,” she warns. “Otherwise, you’ll owe meanotherraise.”
“You’re already overpaid.”
She scoffs. “And yet, I’m still underappreciated.”
“Debatable,” I counter, amused. Truth be told, I’d pay her whatever she wanted. “And thank you.” I add, trying not to laugh.
I made the mistake of telling Carrie how much I appreciated her once. The next day, she told the entire office I was a secret softy because I got teary-eyed when I told her. In my defense, it was windy, and I got dust in my eyes. Completely justified.
She turns to leave but hesitates, glancing over her shoulder, “Oh, and thanks for the dress, by the way. You know I could’ve bought my own.”
I look at her, caught off guard that she knew.
“If ye didn’t want to go, then buying your own dress would’ve just made ye mad at me.” I wink. “And I can’t be having that.”
