“Hey, beautiful, what brings you to the thirty-fifth floor?” I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her in for a hug.
Strike one.
She broke from my hold and pushed against my chest. When I looked at her, though, those bright blue eyes remained playful.
“Chase,” she said. “Not here.”
She took out her tablet and sat, crossing those sexy legs.
This was going to be so damn hard.
“Sorry. Touching you is almost an innate thing for me. What do you have on the agenda for today? I hope it takes my mind off your legs.”
The smile that stretched across her face made me smile right along with her. Normally my joking would make her angry, but she was rolling with it.
“Well, we need to look at the applications for your new assistant,” she said. “Grab your computer so you can see what I’ve sent you.”
That wiped the smile right off my face. I flung myself against the back of the couch and rubbed the stubble along my chin.
“I have an idea.” I leaned toward her, intent on getting her attention. “How about I get you as my assistant, since I’m moving to a new position? It would make more sense to have someone with experience, and we give Gage the newbie.”
The fact that she didn’t guffaw at the idea immediately meant she thought it had merit. She went to her tablet and perused a few things before responding.
“Although that does sound like a reasonable idea, I think you’d have to bring it up with Gage. I don’t know how he’d feel about it.” She went back to her tablet.
And I waited.
And waited.
“What?” she asked. But I could tell by her pinched brows she knew what I was waiting for. “OK, fine, I’m not sure I think it’s a good idea, either. I mean it’s a good idea for every reason but one.”
As I leaned closer to her, it was damn near impossible not to rub her legs, which extended beyond the hem of her skirt. But I resisted and sat back while literally putting my hands behind my head.
“Is that one reason because you’d constantly be thinking about doing dirty things to me while we’re alone in an office?” I asked.
As soon as I did, I knew it was strike two.
Her eye roll was intense. I’d be surprised if it didn’t give her a headache, her eyes rolled so far around in her head.
I screwed up.
“Chase,” she said. The chastising tone was deserved.
I threw my hands up in a defensive mode.
“I’m sorry, really. I’m just getting used to this. My flirting with you is how I get through my day.”
Her fingers went to the bridge of her nose before she rubbed at her eyes.
“This is exactly what I was afraid of, Chase. I don’t want this to be hard for us. To be here, at work.” She folded her hands in her lap and stared at them momentarily. I wasn’t sure if she was done or not, but then she looked up. “I need this job. I knowyou may not understand that, considering your background, but I need this job. To survive.”
Her words cut through me.
This was one of those differences she tried to explain, and I refused to understand. I didn’t need this job to survive. The fact of the matter was there was money for me no matter what I chose to do in this life. My father would be disappointed in me, but I would survive.
I wanted to hug her. To tell her everything would always be OK.
Neither was an option. This would be a struggle.
