He looked up at me with a grunt.
His expression was frosty.I could feel something inside me telling me to turn and run – a sixth sense that knew when danger was around.I stood firm and even tried a brighter smile.“Is there anything you need this morning?Maybe a coffee?”
He grunted again.“I had a coffee two hours ago,” he said.
I tried not to let my mouth drop fully open in surprise.
It took me a moment to regain my composure and clear my throat.“I see,” I said.“I didn’t realize you came in so early.Do you… need me to start coming in earlier, too?”
There was a long pause.I wondered if I’d said something wrong.In fact, from the way he was staring right at me, I began to think I was about to get fired.
“I would enjoy having my secretary available at all times,” he said.The words came out slow as if he begrudged having to say them.“But my schedule is different every day.”
Oh.A bit of a dilemma, then.I thought about it for a moment.“Do you know when you’ll be coming in for the morning when you leave at night?What I mean is – when we leave the office, might you be able to tell me what time to come in the next day?”
He blinked at me for a moment.“You’d be willing to work those kinds of hours?”
I had a feeling already that there would be alotof hours, but there were three things Mr.Harvey didn’t know about me.
One, I was broke, and the fact that this job paid by the hour meant that I would be happy to log as many hours as possible at the end of the month.
Two, I had absolutely no life right now outside of work, given that I’d broken up with my boyfriend, Clara was dating Fernando, and most of my friends were in the film industry – meaning I’d see them when we next worked on something together.
And three – the closer I got to him and the more time I spent in this office, the better opportunity I would have to get some good footage to sell.
“Sure!”I said.“That’s the job, right?”
He sat back in his chair as if he was appraising me with new eyes.“Right.”
That was all agreed, then?
“Okay,” I smiled.“So, just let me know tonight what time you need me in the morning.As for right now…?”
“Just take my messages and allow no visitors until after lunch,” he said.He paused.“You can use the coffee machine.”
He said it as if he was graciously bestowing a gift on me, so I wasn’t going to turn it down.Besides, that was what I had been waiting for – a chance to show him what I’d spent my evening doing, reading the screen of my phone over the top of my microwaved lasagna.
I walked to the machine, expertly pressed three buttons, put my cup under the nozzle to receive the coffee, lifted it, raised the lever, moved my cup, added the milk, and frothed it with the frother.I couldn’t resist sneaking a glance his way as I carried my beautifully prepared cup across the room.
I wasn’t quite expecting just how transformed his face would be.
I almost dropped the cup – which would have been a complete tragedy – and hurried back to my desk so I could close the doors behind me and have a moment alone.More than a moment, actually, since he didn’t want to be disturbed until lunch.
Seated behind my desk, although it still didn’t quite feel likemydesk, I could replay the image of his face in my mind.Eyebrows raised, mouth slightly parted, almost something like the edges of a smile playing around his mouth.
When he wasn’t scowling, Oliver Harvey was…
Well, beautiful.
I cleared my throat and took a sip of my coffee.It tasted as good as it looked.The milk had cooled it instantly to a drinkable temperature, and the zing of caffeine through my blood instantly made me feel more alert.
If he was going to be looking at me like that again, I was going to need it.
It was almost an hour before anyone called or came to my desk, but when they did, I was glad to see a familiar face.Ace rolled up in front of me and rocked on his heels, charmingly informal as he always seemed to be, with his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his suit trousers.
“Is his lordship available?”he asked, cocking his head at the door.
“No, I’m afraid,” I said, smiling but being careful to make no comment about the title.“He’s not to be disturbed until lunch.”
