I clench my jaw to stop the chuckle from escaping. “Of course, of course.”
She spins to storm away, and I call her again. “Kayla.”
She pauses in the doorway with her back to me. She doesn’t turn to look at me when she snaps, “Yes, sir?”
“I just wanted to remind you that I have asked you on numerous occasions to call me Josiah, not sir.”
She doesn’t answer, but nods curtly, then hurries away before I can call her again.
I lean back in my chair, stretching my legs out beneath the desk and folding my arms across my chest.
Why is this bringing me so much joy? Each and every little interaction, every conversation, every time I make her mouth twitch in annoyance…I am absolutely loving it.
Her cheeky, subtle jabs at me are the best.
I’ve been pushing her to her limits, and somehow, she’s remained professional, yet stood her ground. And on top of all of it, she’s doing a fucking brilliant job with regards to her work. I guess some people really do thrive under pressure.
Or perhaps she would be even more efficient if I left her the hell alone, but that certainly isn’t going to happen.I wonder what people would think if I did move her desk into my office.I am the boss, after all. This is my company.
I groan silently, reminding myself again that I need to respect her and not start rumors.
While Kayla is streamlining every challenge I throw at her, I'm slacking. I’d rather watch her at her desk than answer emails. I’ve been staying in the office a lot more lately instead of going out to see clients like I should. I haven’t even been into the warehouse this week because I don’t want to be too far from her.
She’s captivated me in the same way she captivated me when I met her all those years ago. Even though she’s different, very different, from the innocent girl I met back then…she hasthat same tenacious spirit, and I can still see her yearning for all those same dreams beneath the fierce exterior she’s constructed around herself.
That, or I’m projecting the girl I used to know onto this new version of who she is, and I really know nothing about her. Other than the fact that she is absolutely fucking gorgeous.
And brilliantly smart.
And sassy.
And charmingly sarcastic.
AndI want her.
***
It’s Friday, early evening.
The chef is in the kitchen finishing up our dinner preparations, and I’m sitting in the living room watching the news. But the sound is turned low so that I can hear the twins playing and Kayla moving about. These are sounds I have become very quickly accustomed to. We tend to avoid each other when we’re home, and I think it’s because I give her so much grief in the office that she needs the break from me here. From my side, I do it out of respect.
And as much as I enjoy every single interaction I have with the twins, I am not pushing myself onto them or forcing them to get to know me too quickly.
I’ve realized just how strong a person she is, and that being forceful will never work with her. No matter how tedious it is, I must wait for her tochooseto let the girls closer to me.
It’s that, or I will end up pushing her away completely.
Strategic thinking is something that comes easily to me. As much as I have a very personal interest in this situation, I need to treat it like a business investment. That way, I am guaranteed success.
Standing up, I walk over to the bar against the far wall near the patio doors overlooking the garden. The vodka bottle is frosted with ice when I pull it out of the small freezer under the bar. I set two glasses on the raw wood counter and toss a few blocks of ice into each. They jingle about until I silence them by splashing vodka over them.
I can hear Kayla coming downstairs, so I figured I’d get ahead of the game.
As she walks into the living room, I am already standing there with her drink in my hand.
“Oh,” she says, surprised, taking it from me. “Thank you.”
“How was your first week at work?” I ask with an amused smirk.
