The snarky, insolent mystery woman, I supposed, if she was indeed the one who had sent that message.
My emotions warred within me—relief to see her again, disbelief at the way she’d written to me, and fury that a woman I fantasized about now stood in my workplace.
Inmydomain.
“I need you to wait outside, Kacie,” I said, my eyes never leaving Lexi’s shocked face.
“But the HR rep is on her way?—”
“Now,” I interrupted, my voice sharp.
Something in my tone must have concerned Derek because he followed Kacie out. “Go easy on her,” he murmured before the door clicked shut behind them.
Now, it was just the two of us.
Her chest rose and fell quickly, her surprise palpable. Last time, her neckline had dipped dangerously low; now, she wasbuttoned up to the collar in a cheap blouse that somehow showed me the outline of what she wore underneath.
Balling my hands into fists, I barked, “What are you doing here?”
Her wide eyes glistened, as though she’d been holding back tears.
Then she closed her eyes, briefly collecting herself. When she spoke, her voice was cooler than I’d expected, with an undercurrent of anger. “I was summoned here.”
“I meant, what are you doing in this building?”
She fixed her gaze on me, her eyes studying me intently. “You’re Joe Walkers?”
Bits of our conversation from that night came rushing back. She was a coder, starting a new job.
Shit.
I realized my glaring mistake. I hadn’t told her my full name at the bar. What were the odds that the woman I’d had a fling with would end up as one of my employees? Out of the five million women in New York City, I’d slept with the one who worked for me.
Unless…
Years of experience had taught me that boardroom manipulation wasn’t the only kind of scheming in business. Could Lexi have orchestrated this? Had she gone to that bar deliberately, hoping to use our night together to gain an advantage, or worse, to blackmail me?
“Did you sleep with me on purpose?” I growled, stepping closer.
Her expression darkened. “Of course not,” she snapped. “I’d never stoop to something like that.”
Her indignation was unmistakable, and it confirmed my suspicion. She definitely was capable of sending that insolent message.
I held up the tablet with her feedback, her scathing words visible as I turned it to face her.
“Do you consider this to be professional behavior?” I asked.
She flinched but quickly recovered, her gaze dropping to the floor for only a moment before meeting mine again. “So, that’s why I’m here,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I was told the responses were anonymous.”
No apology, just defiance.
“Clearly, you’d formed strong opinions about me before we even officially met. You have a lot of nerve,” I said, studying her.
A beat of silence stretched between us. The air felt charged, crackling.
“I do,” she agreed. “And you have a lot of power. It seems fair.”
Damn. She was exactly the same as I remembered—beautiful, stubborn, and fascinating.
