* * *
I miss my assignment on Saturday.Monica is going to be livid, but I can string together something from the videos circulating on social media.
I’ll have to, if I want to keep my job.
It takes me all weekend, but I finish Sterling’s research.I could have done a better job if he’d worked with me, but I did the best I could on four shots of espresso and five hours of sleep.
I even wrote a note and left it all in a neat pile on his desk.
His old desk.
Job done.I’ll miss our titillating conversations.Mia
Sterling sees it as soon as he’s off the elevator.Of course he does; he doesn’t miss anything.
Without stopping, he crosses the bullpen, towering over me.It might as well be a week ago.If only I could go back and tell myself to say no when he asked.
“That’s it?”
I stare up at him.We’re both in the office early today.There’s no one else here.Nothing to distract me from those big blue eyes.
“That’s all you asked for.So, unless you want more from me, I have a job to do.”
The silence is so loud; it feels like a third person filling the space between us.Frustratingly, Sterling looks … impressed?
“If that’s how you feel, then I guess I have no choice.”
But he doesn’t move, and the longer we stare at each other, the warmer I feel.I wonder how many confessions he’s lured from people with only a look.How many desires.
He gives so little away; I’d love to meet the person who can affect him.
“I want to start by saying thank you.”
It should be too little, too late, but it’s nice to hear, and it’shim.
So, I pin back my shoulders and hold his gaze.“You’re welcome, Sterling.”
Using his first name feels powerful, like a promise.
I wait, expecting him to walk away.Aren’t we done?This is already more than he’s said before.Maybe I should have said something sooner.
Or maybe not …
“Would you like to get a drink?”
Oh, um …
“Sure,” I say, stepping away from my desk.“Is your cup in the break room already or …”
I jolt as his hand curls around my elbow, heat rushing through me.He’s never touched me before.I keep expecting Monica or Andy to burst out of the elevator and ruin this moment, but there’s no one.
Only me and Sterling.
“I didn’t mean …” He trails off.
Of course he’s changed his mind.What was I thinking?One assignment, and we’d be friends?
“That’s okay,” I say, shoving my disappointment into a box and throwing it into a mental trash compactor.It’s where the rest of my feelings for him go, crushed into tiny cubes to save space.
