“Keep an eye on him. I’m still unsure what I want to do.” The guy nodded, and just as abruptly as he appeared, he left, and I turned back to Carlyle with raised brows. “There’s one more. Hang on.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? What happened to being the boss being insanely boring?” He just smirked at me, and I crossed my arms over my check with a huff. Puffing out my lips, I practically leered at him, but he didn’t seem at all phased before a soft knock on the door interrupted us a third time. “This is stupid.”
“It’s not so bad. Come in.” Calling over my shoulder, Carlyle propped his arm behind his head, and his smirk morphed into a shit-eating grin. “It’ll be fine.”
“Whatever.” Rolling my eyes, I turned to find an older man in a really flashy, bright blue tie with yellow smiley faces on it watching us. Patting my ass, Carlyle straightened, and I climbed off him before he stood up and cleared his throat.
“Dad, this is Valerie.” Gesturing to me as my face paled in mortification, Carlyle’s amusement just dribbled from his mouth, and a squeak of horror clogged my throat. “Valerie, this is my father, George.”
“Oh, Jesus Christ,Carlyle!” Popping off the couch onto stiff legs, I pulled my hair over my shoulder, and George smiled warmly at me as I held out my hand. “Hi . . . hello. I’m Valerie.”
He took my hand firmly and covered it with the other one, and I rolled my lips between my teeth as heat threatened to melt my cheeks. George was good looking for a man who must’ve been in his sixties. I could definitely see Carlyle in him.
“It’s nice to meet you, Valerie. I didn’t mean to intrude, but Carlyle and I have some things to discuss about . . . well, to be blunt, it’s about your situation.” George’s grip on my hand didn’t waver even as he shot a stern look at his son, and I bopped my head in a nod. He patted my hand one more time before releasing me, and awkwardness sizzled just under my skin as I pulled my hand behind my back. “Why are you still here, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Uh . . . uh . . . ”Oh shit, oh fuck, oh crap.“I mean . . . I don’t understand the question.” Stupid! The response was so stupid that I could’ve cried, and George arched a brow quizzically as I struggled to get ahold of myself. “Why am I still here in this building? Or why am I not running really far away, trying to wire brush Carlyle from my brain?”
“You know he’s not just a simple business owner, so the second question.” Glancing at Carlyle, I knew my nerves showed all over my face, but he didn’t seem at all perturbed as he leaned against the front face of his desk. My gaze locked on George, and I licked my lips heavily before they just spewed out words.
“I guess he just does it for me.” My eyes widened as acute embarrassment stabbed my chest over and over again. “Okay, I’m going to go. This is awful. I hate you, Carlyle.”
“I’ll see you later, Valerie.” Scrunching up my nose, I nearly threw up from the anxiety roiling in my gut, and I slammed the office door hard behind me. Sliding down the wall, I held my head in my hands and groaned as my brain spun on its stem.
