“Well, I’ll consider myself warned then,” I said, smiling as I followed Rafael around the office.
He introduced me to a few more people and paused by a sleek tablet mounted on the wall.
“Employee feedback,” he explained, tapping the screen. “Anonymous.” His tone was casual, but something about the way he mentioned it made me take note.
When I finally sank into my chair that afternoon, my head was buzzing from everything I’d learned about the company and my new role.
“How was orientation today?” Brian quipped, swiveling around to look at me from his chair. “Did they talk your ear off about our new interim CEO, Lexi? The imposing Jonah—or Joe, as he’s known around here—Walkers?”
I stiffened at the name, and my cheeks went red. No, there was no chance. But I made a mental note to google Jonah Walkers’ picture when I had the time.
I looked between them, remembering our conversation from orientation. “Surprisingly, they didn’t mention Joe,” I said. “They talked a lot about the founder, Ed Walkers.”
Brian nodded sagely. “Everyone loves Ed. Not Joe.” He coughed, cutting himself off quickly, while Stacey looked away and continued tapping furiously at her computer.
I frowned. “Wait … Walkers? Are they related?”
Stacey let out a sharp laugh, but it lacked any real humor.
Brian glanced at her before turning back to me. “Yeah. Joe’s his son.”
That caught me off guard. “Oh,” I said slowly, processing the sudden weight behind the name. “That must be … complicated.”
Brian snorted. “You have no idea.”
Stacey just shook her head and kept typing.
“Jonah is a businessman. Not a techie. Get over it, Brian.”
Brian threw his hands up in the air as though that was all the invitation he needed. “Joe shut down our free-drinks supply six days into his role at Altika. He’s temporary because the board is evaluating him before they appoint him as the permanent CEO. And Stacey won’t let anyone say a word against him because she has a thing for him.”
The speed with which Stacey’s head swiveled right to freeze Brian in his tracks pretty much confirmed it. And the two bright spots of red on her cheeks were further proof. “I don’t have a thing for him,” she hissed.
“Honestly, I know for a fact that half the women in this company have a crush on him,” Brian said.
“Are you speaking on behalf of all women, Brian?” Stacey demanded.
That silenced Brian, and he turned back to his monitor without a word.
“Is he that handsome?” I asked, half laughing as I wondered who this boring businessman might be.
“Haven’t you seen his picture?” Brian asked, and I shook my head.
“I don’t think I’ll ever need to know who he is,” I said.
Besides, I didn’t care for any other handsome dudes at the moment. I had a special one of my own to daydream about.
What was I doing, still thinking about him?
This was the reason I’d never consider a relationship. I’d had a fleeting one-night stand, and now I couldn’t stop thinking about this guy. He was the most gorgeous man I’d ever laid eyes on, and I found myself trying to think back to his beautiful face more than a few times during my day.
But I could just imagine what another failed relationship would do to mess me up.
No way.
“We’re coders,” Stacey said. “We don’t usually meet the CEO.” Under her breath, she muttered, “Even though I’d like to.”
Coders. For so long, I’d thought of myself as a receptionist, so this new identity would take some getting used to.
