Page 6 of His Assistant

“Sniff around, but definitely find the root of the issue if you can. I agree, this could spiral into something worse, so trust your gut.”

Rafe leans forward. “If Calderone’s involved somehow, he’s braver than either of us have given him credit for. It might be time to send him a little message.”

“Brave is not a word anyone would use to describe Enzo,” I mutter. “He’s stupid and arrogant. But if we strike without being a hundred percent certain he was involved, we leave ourselves exposed. That’s the last thing I want.”

He nods. “Understood.”

Just then, there’s a knock at the door. Rafe looks toward it.

“Is that your assistant?” he asks.

I shrug. “I don’t have x-ray vision, Rafe, you tell me.”

“Bold choice for her to knock when you’re in a meeting.”

“She’s been keeping me on a schedule,” I tell him truthfully. “She’s managed me better in three days than any of my assistants did over the last year.”

He narrows his eyes and studies me thoughtfully. I call to Sofia to come in, and she opens the door carefully. She steps inside with a folder pressed to her chest and stops short when she sees Rafe.

“I can come back,” she says carefully. “You didn’t have a meeting on your schedule.”

I gesture toward Rafe. “This is Rafael Santoro,” I say. “He’s been my closest friend for two decades, and he does some business for me. He’s also incredibly rude, so don’t take it personally if he never says hello.”

“I resent that,” Rafe answers with a smirk.

“Did you say hello to my assistant?” I ask him.

He looks down guiltily. “Hello, assistant,” he mutters.

“Sofia,” she corrects firmly.

“Oh, I like this one,” he tells me.

“What is it?” I ask Sofia.

“The Callahan closing packet,” she answers efficiently. “Legal sent the updated version, but page forty-two still references the old entity name. I flagged it and sent it back before printing the rest.”

Rafe’s brows lift. I hold out my hand and she crosses the room to give me the folder. Her expression is calm, but her fingertips are ink-smudged. She must have been fighting with the printer again.

“You caught this before Legal did?” I ask.

“I caught it before you signed it.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“No,” she says. “But that’s what matters.”

Rafe stifles a chuckle.

Sofia glances at him with a look that’s not altogether friendly.

“You’ll get used to him,” I promise. “He’s around a lot.”

“Shall I pad your calendar by a few minutes in case your meetings with him run long?” she asks, ignoring him completely.

“Yes,” Rafe answers at the same time I say, “That’s not necessary.”

Rafe looks delighted. “You’re an observant one.”