Page 24 of Kiss Me Forever

Chapter Seven

Megan

––––––––

"Hey, good morning.Another early bird," Klaus said the next day as I walked into our room.

"I was told this is the way to make sure I nab the best spot." I laughed, going and sitting by the window in the same place I was yesterday. "So, then, how come no one else is here?"

"We can come and go whenever we want. Most people start working in the morning at home and only come in later. That way, they avoid rush hour. By the way, I heard you've got a meeting with the boss in half an hour."

"I do."

He gave me a thumbs-up. "Good luck."

That was an interesting reaction.If I wasn't worried before, I sure was now.

I started working right away because I still had time before nine o’clock, and I didn't want to waste it by fidgeting in my spot and worrying about the meeting. Instead, I reviewed the files of the client that Luke and I were going to pitch to. They were marked in the announcement about the teams. I’d perused all existing projects yesterday, but today, I looked in more detail. This was a project that was right up my alley.

"Ding-dong," Klaus said, startling me.

"What?"

"Your meeting with the boss starts in a few minutes."

"Shit, you're right. I was lost in reading all of this."

I rose from my chair and dashed to the bathroom, taking stock of my appearance. I looked professional enough. Since I noticed yesterday that most people, except Luke, were dressed rather casually, I’d toned it down a bit today, wearing jeans and a white shirt. It was a good look, I thought.

Okay, shoulders back, chin held high.

I walked out of the bathroom and straight to Luke's office. The door was wide open, and he was looking down at the keyboard. He must have heard me coming, because he instantly glanced up.

"You're here," he said. "Good. Come on in."

Licking my lips, I stepped inside.

"Close the door."

His tone was commanding again. I closed it carefully, and it was impossible not to take note of my rapid pulse. Ifelthim looking at me. I turned around slowly, walking to him. He just leaned back, eyes trained on me. Both hands were on the table, fingers interlaced. He looked relaxedandintense at the same time. How was that possible?

"Please take a seat."

"Good morning, Luke."

"Megan. So, what are your concerns?"

"My concerns?" I repeated.

"Yesterday in your message, you didn’t seem to like that there were no others on the team."

"No, no. I was just... well, I was curious why not, since every other team has more people."

"I take the training of interns very personally. That’s why I take everyone under my wing for at least three months out of the six. The reason I do it is because it's the fastest way to get someone on board. They watch me in action, they watch how I think every project through, how I approach it, how I find out what the client wants and come up with ideas. And then they’re ready to take on their own. Usually, we hire two or three people at a time, and then I invite them with me on projects by rotation. You, however, are the only hire at the moment, so you alone will shadow me. If that isn’t what you want, if you have a problem with it, then tell me right away." His eyes glinted.

I crossed and uncrossed my legs, feeling like the world's biggest idiot. He did this with everyone. He hadn’t specifically requested me for some other reason. Why would I jump to conclusions like I did? Luke had kept his promise since I signed the contract and had been 100 percent professional. And here I was, testing his patience, questioning his intentions.

I searched his face for a sign of the man I'd met at the bar that night. That playful guy who didn't seem to take anything seriously. But he wasn't here. The side Luke was showing me now was completely different. He was all business, dedicated to his job. He clearly had put what happened between us out of his mind, and it was time for me to do the same if I didn't want to throw away this opportunity to learn.

---