"I have a new assistant." She’s as horrible as my past assistants who had no skill. Savannah’s problem is that she has skill; it’s everything else that is testing my patience.
“Oh yeah?” He grins from ear to ear.
"You find that funny? Explain," I say, peering into my empty glass. I signal the bartender for another.
He shrugs. “I feel like every time I see you, you have a new assistant. You were holding steady for a while. What happened to that assistant?”
“She went off and decided to procreate and add a human to the world. I’ve had one or two temps, but nothing stuck.” Maybe more than two, but I lost count of the number of times HR couldn't find me someone worth keeping. “Well… Charles’s assistant has now been thrown upon me. Happened this week.”
“That’s promising. I bet she’ll stick around for a while if she worked for Charles.”
“Delightful,” I mutter under my breath, and I don’t mean it at all. Focus is what I need. Sure, I was missing someone who actually knows my calendar and keeps an eye on the small details. She’ll keep me sharp in energy but completely fuck up my concentration purely by her presence.
“Don’t be grumpy. Are you still playing pickleball or something?”
My eyes bulge. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, I am not supporting the pickleball trend in order to be relevant. Classic racquetball will do. And no, it’s been a while.”
“Okay, enlighten me, why are you so tense?”
I scoff. "Don’t be silly." He catches my eye. "Really." Idrum my fingers. "Work's slammed. These deals are finally closing."
Hayes leans back in his chair, his arm extends, and he points his glass in my direction. “I’ve known you long enough. That was a lie. Now is the time to share while I’m gracing your city for a few days.”
The barman sets a small bowl of nuts and my new drink on our burgundy table in passing. Quickly, I grab hold of my whiskey.
Continuing to study Hayes for a few seconds, I debate whether I should admit my insanity—I’m desperate for someone to talk to. Hell, I’ve escaped the office at 2 PM on a workday. That’s gotta raise alarms for many.
I set my glass tumbler down on the square napkin. “I told my assistant to book a room here to make her think I’m meeting a woman for an afternoon fuck fest.” I string the sentence together with speed. I also wince from admitting that out loud.
His jaw drops. "You what?" He grins, clearly entertained.
“You heard me,” I mutter and avoid looking at him because I don’t want to see his face.
"Testing her discretion or... is there another reason?"
“She has worked for my company for a while. Discretion is second nature to her. Plus, she had to sign an NDA.”
“Okay, which means you did it because…” He encourages me to continue.
I bite inside my cheek because I’m trying to keep the reason locked inside. Admittance is dangerous.
“Wait. Is she good-looking?”
My head wobbles side to side. “I mean, if tight dresses and a gentle face with a snarky yet ridiculously peppy attitude is your thing.”
Hayes keeps grinning. "Right, so she’s attractive. I get it."
I scoff at his accusation. “Please, I have many options to pick from.”
“But she’s forbidden, right? Your company must have no-fraternizing rules or something like that. But wait, you own the company, so you can change that rule in a flash.”
“Forget I said anything. We should talk about how I can persuade you to join my company.”
"No rule against employee entanglements? Maybe I'd consider it," he jokes.
I shake my head and raise two fingers in the air to indicate to the bartender that we need another round. “Let’s move on.”
His palm flies up. “Sure… for today. You went to great lengths to test jealousy and her reaction.”
