“You said if something on your schedule changes, I should tell you right away. Ms. Ryan said she’s going to have to change the lunch location to Thuk Thai because Garden Patio is under renovations. Should I tell her you’ll be late, or…?”
Jackie waved her hands. “No. Tell her I’ll be there. Mr. Steele and I were done anyway. Weren’t we, Mr. Steele?”
Antonio adjusted his suit jacket. “I guess we were. We’ll talk later, Ms. Miles.” Jackie watched as Antonio left her office, moving past Calvin, who eyed him hungrily.
“Is that the rep from AMW? I heard the girls in accounting talking about the merger. Former football player, right? I can definitely tell. The man is fine.”
“He’s alright.” Jackie knew that was a lie as soon as it left her lips. “And don’t gossip. It’s counterproductive, and you have work to do, Curtis.”
“Uh-huh,” said Calvin as he exited the office, looking smug.
Jackie sat at her desk, cradling her throbbing head in her hands. How the hell was she going to be able to work with Antonio just down the hall? She was not about to let this merger get under her skin.
She grabbed her brand-new Saint Laurent purse and refreshed her red lipstick, readying herself for lunch with the boss chicks. Jackie knew she’d have to tell her girls the truth and the whole truth, so help her God.
CHAPTER 4
Antonio leaned against a wall near Jackie’s door. If her assistant had interrupted a second later, he wasn’t sure what he’d have done. When Jackie looked up at him, he felt the axis of his world tilt. He wanted to kiss her so badly, to crash his lips against hers and devour her. But that would have been the most unprofessional thing on the planet. Not only because they were colleagues, but because he hadn’t been alone in a room with Jackie in ten years and things were…complicated.
She doesn’t need that shit. Jackie had a hard enough time as the only Black woman at Elite. She didn’t need any new rumors swirling around about her.
But she looked so goddamn good in that suit, the red popping against her cocoa skin. Her top dipped low enough to give a hint of cleavage. Her hair was short and spiky, like she was adorned with a crown. Those thick legs in those heels, the smell of her perfume… Lord, the woman took his breath away. If he was going to work with her, he was going to have to learn self-control, fast.
Heading back toward his temporary office space, he was met by a grinning Donny DiMaggio. Antonio winced. He’d heard this guy was an ass-kisser. In fact, folks had cautioned Antonio to watch what he said around Donny. Antonio hated gossips.
Donny extended his hand. “Hi Tony! I’m Donny, nice to meet you.”
Tony? Antonio raised a brow. No one on this earth called him “Tony,” not even his parents. Friends called him “Ant.” Jackie had just called him Ant. Maybe he and Jackie could be friends…Werethey friends?
Reluctantly, he shook Donny’s hand. “Nice to meet you too. It’s Antonio.”
Donny nodded, still smiling for no reason. “Oh. Okay. Cool. Did I just see you coming out The Viper’s office?”
“The Viper?”
“Yeah man, that’s what we call her. She’s deadly with the deals. All sleek and smooth. She’s all bite, no real poison. But she is certainly a b—”
“Buddy, you don’t want to finish that sentence,” warned Antonio as he adjusted his cufflinks. It might have been his first day, but he damn sure wasn’t going to tolerate any Jackie slander. “Not a good look on our first day working together, you think?”
“Right,” laughed Donny, clearly uncomfortable. “Maybe we can get drinks later? The guys and I usually go to The Buckhead Club after work.”
