Page 16 of Voyeur
I placed the papers on the corner of his desk and stepped back, watching him shift them to line up with the edge of the desk.
“Nice glasses.”
“Thank you. I hate them. I’m twenty-nine and already need readers. Makes me look like an old man,” he said with a deprecating laugh.
“Hardly,” I chuckled. The word slipped from my lips without thinking it through. Swallowing hard, I looked down, unable to see his reaction. “Anyways, did you need anything else? I’m here for about another hour.”
His eyes flicked around the room like he was searching for tasks that may need to be done. “Actually, yes. I have those boxes of papers stacked over there. They’re already marked, but I need them alphabetized and filed away.”
My eyes widened when I saw the five filing boxes piled next to a cabinet. He must have noticed because he laughed and attempted to reassure me.
“You don’t need to get them all done today. Maybe just shoot for one box. A professor who retired last semester left me some of his journals and research files.”
“That’s a little bit more than some.”
“If you’d have seen the rest, you wouldn’t be saying that. Boxes were stacked almost to the ceiling in his office. In multiple piles.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you only got away with five. Otherwise, I’d be here until you retired.”
He laughed, and I became a little mesmerized by his smile. The creases in his cheeks. The small dimple in his chin a little more apparent as the skin stretched across it.
When he looked up, I averted my eyes, feeling like a child caught staring. “Well, I should get started then.”
We worked in a companionable silence for almost an hour. He would leave, but immediately return. Every once in a while, I’d turn to find him looking at me, and he’d just smile or nod before returning to his work. He probably just wanted to make sure I didn’t mess anything up. He seemed very meticulous. I’d look over and watch him shift a pen to line up with the paper, or make sure every piece of paper sat the same distance from the edge, just small things. I had to force myself to stop looking before I got caught staring again.
“Well, I’m heading out,” Donna said, popping her head in through the doorway. “Callum, don’t work this poor girl too hard.”
“But I thought you told me she was my indentured servant forever,” he said, furrowed eyebrows directed at Donna.
She narrowed her eyes back. “I would never,” she said, turning to wink at me. “Have a good night you two. Callum, I’ll see you tomorrow. Oaklyn, I’ll see you Friday?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Okay. Have a good night.”
When she left, Dr. Pierce leaned back in his seat and stretched his arms above his head. His light blue dress shirt stretched across his broad chest, and I had to pinch the skin between my pointer finger and thumb to pull myself away from the edge of staring and drooling.
“I guess we should call it a night. Didn’t realize it was already after five.”
“Oh, wow. Time flies when you’re filing papers.”
“Most thrilling job out there.”
I liked his quick banter and easy responses.6
“Thank God, since I’m going to be doing it forever as your indentured servant. Don’t lie, you actually have all those boxes stacked in a room waiting for me.”
He smiled and put his hands up. “You caught me.”
“Well, I’ll be back Friday to pick up where I left off.”
Before grabbing my things, I placed the lid back on the box and cleaned up my area.
“It’s late. Do you need an escort?” Dr. Pierce asked.
I giggled like an idiot, opening my mouth before thinking. “I’m good without a male escort.”
“Oh, uh. I…uh, didn’t mean it like that.”
