“Listen, I have to run to an early deposition, but I wanted to check on Amber. How’s she doing?” Ford asked.
Theo ticked off his fingers. “She’s late for the second day in a row. She doesn’t know how to work in an office. She dresses like a Victoria’s Secret model. That’s not distracting at all,” he said wryly. He held up a fourth finger, but Ford was laughing.
“That good, huh?” Ford smirked. “That is one hell of a woman.”
A thought occurred to Theo that made him stiffen. “Do you and she ever...”
“No,” Ford shook his head. “But not for lack of trying on my part,” he said. “She’s allergic to kids.” Ford’s son, Landon, lived with him full-time after his ex-wife bailed with some big-shot producer she met when Landon was a baby.
“Doesn’t she have plenty of nieces and nephews?” Theo knew of Davis Henderson from several development meetings. He’d heard he married Amber’s sister, Allie Hart, a few years back and saw both of them around town with their menagerie of kids.
“Yeah,” Ford shrugged. “But having a kid is different from living with one. It’s a hard pass for some people.”
Just then, Amber peeked her head around the doorway. Red. It was the first coherent word that made its way into his brain. Then, heels. Then, holy Mother of God. The woman was going to kill him. Red heels, fitted white blouse, tight black pencil skirt. She looked like a fifties pin-up model. He pinched the bridge of his nose hard.
“Hi, sorry I’m late. Did you get my message?” she asked breathlessly. Her blouse, snuggly cupping her generous breasts, heaved, and those full, smooth slopes gripped Theo until he forcibly shook his head.Jesus.
Then he noticed something else. “No more pink hair?”
She fingered her darker hair and shrugged. “New job, new hair.”
“Hi Amber,” Ford greeted her. “Theo said things are going well for you here.”
“He did?” Amber shot Theo an uncertain glance, and Theo winced for an entirely different reason. It was that same quicksilver look on her face from that night in the parking lot. A little uncertain, a little lost. Wholly different from her usual boldness. A protective instinct hit him out of the blue and he stood up.
“Ford, I’ll see you later this week,” he said curtly.
Ford blinked. “Have I just been dismissed?” He grinned at Amber, whose dazzling smile was back. “See you around, Amber. Don’t let this guy work you too hard.” Ford gave him a knowing look that Theo ignored as he closed the door firmly behind him.
“Come in and take a seat,” Theo said more formally than he intended. He adjusted his tie and took a seat behind his desk. He breathed easier with the monstrous desk between them.
Amber sat down, tucking one leg over the other, and whipped out a pencil from behind her ear. "I'm at your service, boss.”
Theo passed over a paper on the desk without a word.
“What’s this?” Amber asked.
"This is a list of your job duties. If there's anything you don't know how to do, let Diane know.”
Amber tapped the pencil on the sharp white tips of her bottom teeth. “Sort your mail, pick up your dry cleaning, make travel arrangements. I think I can handle it,” she said dryly. “Is there anything else?" she asked with a hopeful note.
"No, that’s everything.”
She continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “Because I’ve been thinking about your campaign, and I have some new ideas about how to get your numbers up. Northfield’s population is turning over. They want to know the mayor?—”
Theo cut her off firmly. “No. That’s not in your job description.”
She shrugged. “I guess I’ll just take messages, then.”
Theo looked pointedly at his watch. "Yes, that's the idea."
"Are you sure there isn't anything else I can do?” she prodded.
Theo leaned back in his chair. "No," he said evenly. "There's nothing else that I want."
She looked like she wanted to say more, but she stood instead. "Door open or closed?" she asked.
"Closed," Theo said firmly.
