She laughed.“Sophia, you were.He’s nice.And handsome.You have my approval.”
“No, I don’t,” I said, walking around her to wash the few dishes we’d dirtied.
“Is taking this card and helping him figure this out going to complicate things for you?”she asked, watching me.“Is he going to use it to manipulate you?”
I slowly shook my head, hating that it made me more nervous knowing that he wouldn’t try to use it.
“He’s had the opportunity to manipulate me and hasn’t so far.He’s one of the more trustworthy ones, not that that means much.”
“Coming from you, I think it does.”
My phone buzzed,waking me thirty minutes before my alarm.Disoriented, I fumbled for the device and squinted to read the message.
K:Can you come in early?
Me:How much more am I getting paid to be at your beck and call?Also, when will I receive my compensation?
My phone rang.I saw “K” on the screen, the vague contact info I’d grudgingly entered for him, and answered it with a quiet, “What?”
“I apologize for waking you."
“Who said you did?”
He chuckled, and the sound wrapped around me.
“I find your early morning surliness cute.”
“You're insane for finding it cute and for using the word surly.”
My phone dinged, and I pulled it away from my ear to read the auto-deposit text from my bank.Another five thousand dollars.
I cleared my throat and said, “How soon should I meet you?”
His amused laugh sounded so nice.
“How soon can you be here?”
“You’re already in the office?”I asked, sitting up.“What time did your meeting end last night?Did you even sleep?”
A beat of silence answered me before he did.
“I’ll tell you when you get here.Hurry up.”
He ended the call, and I became a quiet whirlwind as I got ready.
After sending Mom a message that I was heading in early, I snuck out of the house and drove downtown.The city was quiet that early, which made the commute even quicker.
An hour and a half earlier than usual, I walked into the Steele building and headed up to the executive floor.No one was around yet.No one except Konni, who had his office door open and a paper take-out bag on his desk.He stood when he saw me and held it out.
I accepted it, along with the coffee he handed me.
“Should I be concerned that you bribe me with food, beverage, and cash?”
He chuckled as he went to close his office door.
“Probably.”The word said so close to my ear immediately after hearing the door shut made me jump.
His hands gripped my arms, steadying the coffee I still held.His nose skimmed against my cheek as he inhaled.
