Page 79 of The Rebel Billionaire

Even my friend pointed out how attractive she is.

I pick up my water and down half of it.

“Are you all right?” The concern in her voice makes me even more jittery.

“Fine, it went down the wrong way,” I say.

We eat the rest of our meal in silence.

Brooke gets up, collecting our plates, while I reseal the open cartons and place them in the bag, moving towards the bin.

“Are you throwing that out?” she asks.

“Do you want to take it home?”

She grins. “Way too good to waste,” she says, holding out her hand. “I’ve missed good takeaway.”

I pass the bag over, our fingers brushing, sending shards of awareness up my arm.

“My driver will drop you home when you’ve finished up,” I say without thinking.

“It’s okay, I can order a cab.”

“No,” I say more sharply than I intend. “It’s nearly eleven o’clock at night. We’ll drop you home.”

“Thank you.” She lifts the plates she’s carrying. “I’ll just put these in the dishwasher and set it going.”

I don’t want to argue with her. Instead, I turn back to my desk.

When she’s out of sight, I grip the back of my neck and massage out some of the tension lodged there.

God help me.

CHAPTER 23

HARPER

It’s eight by the time I drag myself into the office, feeling like I left only five minutes ago. Alex is already here, his door open, and I can see him sitting at his desk. After hanging up my coat and bag, I head to the kitchen. Daphne, Teresa’s PA, is already there.

“Morning,” she says cheerfully.

“Morning,” I say.

“Ouch, you look like you had a rough night,” she says. “I hope it was with someone tall, dark and gorgeous positioned between your thighs.”

I chuckle awkwardly, flicking on the coffee machine.

“If only,” I say, leaning back against the counter. “I was in here until eleven, finishing up some reports.”

She wrinkles her nose and grunts.

“Well, that just sucks,” she says. “I look forward to the day you tell me you met someone and got your rocks off. You’re taking this job far too seriously. Maybe you need to come out with me and some of the other girls. We’ll get you out there.”

I shudder at the thought. Callie warned me about Daphne and her posse. They’re wild. I’ve been a party girl, but even I have boundaries. From what she’s told me, anything goes in their hunt for a man.

“That’s kind, but…”

I don’t add that I was here with Alex, someone tall, dark, and incredibly handsome, even as a joke, because I know Daphne loves to gossip, and the last thing I need is to be caught up in the rumour mill. I’m not sure he would see the funny side either.