Page 20 of Mike's Assistant

I nodded and stood from the desk. I turned and looked at the mahogany double doors leading to Mike’s office. My heart fluttered, and my face warmed at the thought of Mike—that damn dream. I had to push it out of my mind, especially now.

I inhaled and steeled my nerves before walking to the office doors and gently rapping. I opened the door as Mike’s big brown eyes stared back at me. He was dreamy. He was even more handsome in real life. The dream version had nothing on him.

He cracked a smile, and my stomach fluttered with excitement. I knew I blushed again. I couldn’t help it.

“Mr. Doy,” I said, walking into the room. It was only then I saw a young man sitting on the couch. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were in a meeting.”

“It’s Mike,” he replied. “You’re not interrupting anything important. This is Talon, a friend. He works security here. We were just catching up. Talon, this is Jake, my new assistant.”

The man, Talon, rose from his seat. He stood a little over six feet, had a muscular build but not bulky, and wore a form-fitting suit. He had short, well-managed hair, and he looked like security. All he needed was mirrored sunglasses to make his men in black look complete.

“Nice to meet you,” Talon said.

I inhaled nervously and shook the offered hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”

I quickly let go and looked back at Mike. “I was just wondering if I could get you anything. Katie said you live off coffee.”

Mike chuckled, and the sound went straight to my dick. Fuck, what was with this man? I felt my face heat. Double fuck. Come on, Jake, keep it together.

“I do live off coffee, but I’m good. We haven’t really had a chance to talk. Why don’t you sit and join Talon and me? We can chat while we have downtime,” Mike said, pointing to the seat opposite him.

Damn it. So much for a quick escape. I was going to have to do this, eventually. Perhaps with Talon here, I wouldn’t embarrass myself. Swallowing, I slid into the offered seat.

“Where are you from, Jake?” Talon asked, returning to his seat on the couch.

I glanced between him and Mike. I didn’t know how much I should tell them. I’d already told Vanessa I was from West Virginia, so I decided to admit to that. “West Virginia.”

“That’s quite a ways from here. How’d you end up in Florida?” Mike asked, leaning forward.

How the hell did I answer that? I couldn’t come out and pour my soul out to my boss on the first day, no matter how much I wanted to. I inhaled, and Mike’s cologne filled my senses. Another wave of arousal washed through me. Fuck. This needed to stop.

Mike cleared his throat, and I jerked my gaze toward him before settling on “Family.”

“Oh, your family moved down here?” Talon asked.

Fuck, another question I didn’t want to answer—luckily, I didn’t have to.

“Knock, knock.”

I jumped to my feet and turned toward the door. Vanessa strolled in carrying a tray of coffee. I hurried to her side and grabbed the tray.

“Thank you, Jake. How’s your first day going? This guy’s not a grump, is he? If he is, just let me know,” Vanessa said, pointing at a smiling Mike.

I glanced between them. Shit, I forgot. He’s taken and way out of my league. I turned back to her. An ache radiated in my chest at the thought. I just need to keep things professional. I had to get out of here. I placed the coffee on the desk before inhaling and standing straight.

“It’s been going well, and he’s been fine. Not a grump at all,” I said with a tiny smile. I looked back at Mike. “I’ll let you all catch up. You have an appointment in thirty.”

I turned on my heel and quickly exited the office before anyone could speak. I hurried past my desk and down the hall to the restroom. I entered the stall and locked it behind me, breathing heavily. Why did I feel this way about him? Why did I have that dream about him? I only met him once, for fuck’s sake.

I closed my eyes. Jake, you can do this. This is for your brothers. Buzzing pulled me from my thoughts. I opened my eyes and pulled my phone from my pocket. Fuck! CPS. Why wouldn’t she leave me alone? I pressed the button, sending Grace to voicemail.

“I can do this. I need to forget about the dream and forget any attraction for my boss. For Sam and Abel. I can do this,” I said firmly.

With my decision made up, I jerked a nod and exited the stall. My eyes widened. Oh crap on a cracker.

“So, you had a dream about Mike? Who’s Sam and Abel?” Talon asked with a grin.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied, going to the sink.

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