As much fun as it was teasing him, I couldn’t focus. I curled into mychair, grateful for the divider between us. I stared at my computer screen and tried shaking off the image of my boss half naked. Glistening.
I needed to know what he’d feel like underneath my hands. An unruly blend of panic and want coursed through my veins.
“I’m off to site.” Mr. Carden hopped up from his chair. He had no site meetings scheduled for today.
“Mr. Carden,” I said.
He froze at the doorway but didn’t look at me.
I fidgeted with the clicker on my pen. “Your presentation was incredible and inspiring, and I would really like to know more about your research. I’m sorry I left so quickly… I, um, I had to go…”
He shrugged, gnawing on his bottom lip. “Yeah, um, thanks, and no problem. I figured you’d probably have, like, family to see or something.”
I nodded, even though it wasn’t true.
“Okay, bye,” he said, more awkwardly than usual, reminding me of our first couple weeks working together.
I longed for the familiarity in his tone at the conference, the knowing looks, the rare smile. But, with him gone, I could think a little clearer. If I wasn’t going to get any answers out of him, perhaps I could get them out of someone else.
I’m ashamed to admit that, during my many coffee breaks, I snooped and asked anyone who would listen a few casual questions about Mr. Carden. I needed to know if there was any chance he was Link because it was all I could think about… well, that and his deliciously defined chest.
“He’s a brilliant engineer.”
I already knew that. I wanted to know more, but there weren’t many ways to ask questions without seeming suspicious, or worse, interested in my boss.
“He’s rather strange.”
Kinda picked up on that too. But I liked it.
“He’s a bit of an asshole.”
That I refused to accept and took a moment to set them straight. Janine wouldn’t be leaving this kitchen until she accepted that Lincoln Carden was a delight.
I trudged back to my desk somewhat despondent and wired only to find Mr. Anders and Cedric standing there.
Mr. Anders drummed his fingers impatiently on the textbook they landed on. “Gordon-Bettencourt,” he said, “I need you to work with Cedric on the Stringent interchange. He needs input from Roads. He’s basically designed everything else already.”
An interchange. I hadn’t done an interchange yet.
“Unless you’re incapable?” His voice lifted with one of his brows, and it triggered the pettiest, most self-destructive part of me. Beside him, Cedric’s smug face glowed.
“I can do it.”
Crap, crap, crap. I can’t do it. Why did I say that?
“Good. He needs the drawings by tomorrow morning.”
Okay, now I definitely regretted it.
20
LINCOLN
[72 weeks ago]
@pancakesareelite:
What do you look like?
