Page 11 of Twisted Truth

“Yes,” she admits, wincing again. “These are not my shoes. They are a size too small, and my feet are killing me.”

“Again, why, darling, are you wearing clothes and shoes that are too small?”

“It’s a long, ridiculous, and sad story.”

“Call me intrigued. This sounds like some prime tea.”

Ms. Hale laughs, flashing her beautiful smile again.

“It is. My life right now is a piping hot mess of tea. It’s so unreal that it’s like a bad movie.”

“What are you doing for lunch?” Matthew demands. “You must go with me; I want to hear all of it. Every last detail.”

Oh, no. Matthew is also like a dog on a bone. When he finds someone or something he’s interested in, he goes all in. And ever since Ms. Hale spoke up and made the team understand what Matthew and I were trying to convey, he’s set his eyes of approval on her. Which means they’ll be fast friends—Matthew will insist.

“Okay,” Ms. Hale—Ella—concedes. I suppose I should getused to calling her by her name since we’ll be working together for the foreseeable future.

She turns to leave, hobbling again.

“Oh, take them off and throw them in the trash where they belong,” Matthew says, irritated. “You can’t keep walking in those.”

“It’s these or my old sneakers.”

“Even old sneakers are better than those.”

Ella collapses into the nearest chair then bends down and undoes the sparkly strap from its buckle. I can’t help but agree with Matthew on this, too. Those shoes look like something a little girl would wear if she was playing dress up. So, why would she wear them to work?

Matthew snatches the shoes from Ella, then carries them to the trash can outside the conference room and unceremoniously dumps them in. Ella pulls an old pair of sneakers and socks out of her large purse and puts them on.What is the story with this woman?I’m sure I’ll hear about it later; Matthew will get to the bottom of it, without a doubt.

Ella is blushing furiously, and I feel bad that I’m still here, witnessing this strange moment. I know it must be embarrassing for her, but it can’t be helped. I’ve got to go over some things with Matthew before we head to lunch, and he is a man on a mission at the moment.

Ella lets out a groan of relief as she stands, and the sound of it shocks me. Goosebumps rise on the back of my neck, and my cock twitches in my pants.What the fuck was that?I clear my throat.

“Matthew,” I say as he holds the door open for Ella. “I need to go over my afternoon itinerary with you before you leave.”

“Yes,” he says, waving dismissively at me. He gives Ella a stern look. “Meet me at the east entrance of the building in five minutes. I’m taking you to lunch, and I’m expecting to pay for food and entertainment, so your story better be worth it.”

“You won’t be disappointed.” She laughs again. It’s a beautiful sound, high and clear. My cock twitches again. What in the hell is going on with me? Why is my cock jumping at every little sound she makes?

I need to get my shit together. I would say I need to get laid, but that’s what got me into this fucking mess, so that’s off the table for now. Because if this scheme is going to work, I need to be on my A game. I’ve never been one to lose or fail.

And I don’t plan to start now.

4

ELLA

“How have I never seen you in this building?” Matthew asks, linking his arm with mine as we exit onto the busy New York street.

I raise my voice to talk over the blaring horns and roar of traffic. “Because executives and other high-level employees use the east entrance of the building because only those elevators go all the way up to the top floors. I only use the west lobby. Just now I felt like a loitering peasant, waiting in the east lobby for you.”

“Well, you certainly look the part today.”

“Hey!”

He laughs. “I’m teasing, although you know it’s true.”

“Well, we don’t all work on the executive floor with executive floor salaries to help us look like supermodels when we come into work.”