“Just so I can improve, if something was wrong, I don’t want him to fix this or anything,” Josie said. “I can get my own business.”
“Your food speaks for itself,” Harper said.
“Thanks,” Josie said, glancing down. “I’ll get in touch with Ares later in the week. You should come over for dinner. My mom would love to see you.”
“I will, definitely,” Harper said. Josie and her mother, Fleur, were two of only a small circle of people who knew about her personal tsunami.
“Take care,” Josie called.
Continuing to the door of the shiny metallic glass building, Harper stopped by the seamless entrance and punched in the code to activate the retina scanner. When the lock flashed green and the doors opened, she walked into the smooth terrazzo main floor of Axis Management, the security firm that did everything from bodyguarding to government contracts and more. The main floor was empty, the curved front desk clear. She passed the conference room before stepping into the elevator and riding up to the executive floor.
“Hello,” she said to their receptionist, Viv.
Viv raised her eyebrows at her and pointed down the hall.
Yeah, they’d be looking for her. Harper glanced at her watch.
“Harper!”
Halfway to the office, Claudia flew towards her. “You need to check your messages. Ares’s plane is delayed, and there’s that fundraiser tonight. My sister thinks the baby is
coming tonight but I can stay if you want.”
“Go! Keep me updated!” “Thanks!” Claudia grinned.
Harper sighed. She did not need this after the rehearsal; she wanted to go home, curl up with a book and tune out the world.
Entering the executive wing, she smiled. Her desk sat outside the door to her boss’s office. His door was closed. Putting her bag away, she sighed. He was going to need a suit.
She waved bye to Viv, who was shutting down her system, walked down the hall, hitting the elevator’sup button while rearranging the schedule for tomorrow in her head. When the elevator opened, she strode to apartment number one, the biometric lock opening to her touch. This was a ridiculous hassle.
“Totally unnecessary,” Harper grumbled under her breath. From the closet, she took out a suit and folded it over her arm. She made a couple of quick phone calls and returned to the executive wing again. Passing her desk and the door to his office, she paused at the door.
But interrupting came with the territory of being the executive assistant to Xander Montague, billionaire and genius extraordinaire. She knocked once. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. If he didn’t get a move on, they would be late, he hated being late almost as much as he hated wearing a suit, so she did the whole swipe her hand over the lock thing again.
When the door whisked open, she wished she hadn’t interrupted.
“Hey,” she said, leaning against the door like it was no big deal she had walked in on her boss getting a blow job at five-thirty in the afternoon.
There he sat on the black leather couch in the lounge area with his head resting back, his curtain of dark hair flowing along his arm, his hand guiding the woman’s head, while Harper acted like she was just passing through to drop off a file or wake him from a nap. Like it didn’t make her heart twist in a twinge of jealousy because she wished it was her between his strong, muscular legs.
Xander’s eyes flew open, and the brunette woman between his legs startled. Xander swore, and his hands came around the back of the woman’s neck, pulling her off.
“Sorry, Cindy, I’ll make it up to you.”
“You could tell her to go.” Cindy pouted.
“I have business,” Xander said, his voice firm. He had already thrown on his boxers and guided Cindy up from the floor and smoothed down her dress.
“Bitch,” Cindy murmured to Harper as she walked past her.
Harper flashed her a smile as wide as her lips could stretch. It didn’t matter how many women came, they went, and she stayed.
“Cindy.” That tone made Harper feel small. He never used that deep baritone voice on her, like that, though she wished he did. His tone of dominance sent a thrill down her spine.
He grabbed Cindy’s arm and raised an eyebrow at her.
“Sorry,” Cindy mumbled, looking at the ground.
