Did she make it home safely after her date?
Shaking my head, I head into my office and sit down behind my desk. Instead of firing up my computer to see what’s on the schedule for the day, I spin and turn to look out the window. My thoughts are already consumed with her.
Iris.
When I met her a decade ago, I instantly became smitten. The way she spilled her guts to me in the middle of a busy coffee shop was adorable. When she walked away, I kicked myself for not getting her full name and number. I wanted to know more about her. I wanted to take her out and see where things would go. That all changed when, not even an hour later, she walked into my office.
I hired her without thinking twice. As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted it. I wanted her for myself but couldn’t.
I won’t mix business with pleasure.
Not like he did.
My father made it no secret when he was alive that he liked to fuck his assistants, and I refuse to be like him. Especially where Mason and I have worked our asses off, trying to clean up the messes our parents left behind.
Still, that didn’t change the fact I wanted her.
I still want her. A fact that isn’t well hidden. Something that the guys have teased me about. Hell, my brother even gave me his blessing and told me to take the chance, but after this long, I can’t.
Iris means too much to me to ruin it all now.
Friends. We’re only friends, and that’s all we’re meant to be.
Even if I want to beat her date to a pulp just for being seen with her in public.
I don’t deserve someone as good and pure as Iris. Neither does he, though.
A knock on the door has me looking over my shoulder. Iris is standing in my doorway, her blond hair pulled back from her face and wearing a white blouse tucked into some wide-legged black slacks and heels that I would bet money have red bottoms.
“Hey, is everything okay?” she asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”
She raises a brow. “You’re sitting in the dark, and you didn’t even turn on your monitor.”
I look up at the light on the ceiling and see that it is, in fact, off.
Shit.
“I got distracted by the sunrise. I miss watching it here in Boston.” It’s not a complete lie.
I miss my life in Boston. I have considered more than once moving our home base here and leaving the New York office as a satellite office. I haven’t had the time to really flesh it out, though.
She hums as she walks into my office and takes a seat across from me, setting her tablet in her lap.
“I love a good sunrise,” she muses.
I know.
“What’s up?” I ask, changing the subject.
“I wanted to go over the schedule with you,” she says as she wakes up her tablet.
“You know that’s not your job anymore. We’re equals,” I remind her, making her blush.
“Old habits die hard. Besides, you know I’m not sold on Chad.”
Chad is the assistant that took over for her and who works for the both of us. He doesn’t do a bad job by any means, he’s just not her. He doesn’t do things the way she would do, and he’sthe type of person who needs direct orders. He doesn’t see that something needs to be done and jump in without being asked.
