AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Next morning, the office is easy to find, and easier to access than it should be. The security guy at the front desk barely notices me as I sign in, but maybe Nic’s already arranged for me to be let through. Somebody ought to be paying better attention. The elevator ride is uneventful, though the car I share contains at least two people who look vaguely familiar to me, which is unremarkable—this city just isn’t that big—until I realize they work for Sizzle. I only recognize them because I’ve seen them on TV.
I’m going to have to text Alex. He’ll get a kick out of me working here. It’ll give him a good excuse to visit Joelle at work, him and Elliott. I’ve seen Alex recently, of course, but I haven’t seen his spouses since their wedding. The idea I might get to see them all just working in the same building has me feeling warmly about the place, and by the time I get to the office door marked Pendergrass Law, it makes me smile.
The knob turns, and there’s Nic and Natalie, and my heart about stops. The desk is wide, antique by the look of it, no modern credenza to hide her curves. A low-slung sofa sits across the room to my right, and the books… books everywhere. Floor-to-ceiling shelves, full to bursting, except for a few spots holding busts of old men I don’t recognize.
Nic and Natalie look like a still shot from a film noir set—his suit, her blouse, skirt, and heels. They’re standing in front of that desk, looking like a matched pair if ever I’ve seen one.
“Good morning, Finn,” says Nic.
“Nic,” I say.
Natalie’s mouth drops open in surprise.
“What are you doing here?”
I glance at Nic.
“Of course, you two have met.” Nic’s voice is glacially polite. “Mr. Hale is going to provide security for the office for the next few weeks.”
She blinks, looking between him and me. “Since when do you need security?”
“Please don’t be alarmed. Someone broke into the office yesterday.”
“Are you serious?” Natalie looks around, as though she might catch the perpetrator in action. “How? What happened?”
“I am perfectly serious. I’m not sure how. The police have requested yesterday’s footage of our floor from building security.”
“For goodness’ sake,” she says, crossing her arms. “Is anything missing? What did they take?” She assumes, as I had, that thieves were responsible. I wonder whether Nic is going to let her in on the tiny but crucial detail of his being blackmailed.
I’d been speculating on that all night, on what secret my new boss is keeping that he’d pay to keep quiet. The suit, his sexy-as-fuck Audi, the fancy antiques in the office, all that adds up to money. Which makes me think drugs first, but I dismissed that straight away. He’s just not the type, but I don’t have the best track record of seeing people’s failings, so I’m withholding judgment just yet.
The suit he’s wearing this morning is bespoke. It probably costs more than every car I’ve ever owned combined and is tailored to fit so well I that can see the muscles in his arms flex. The suit, the office, that sexy-as-hell car he drives—somebody has clearly marked him as an obvious cash cow. Vindictive ex-lover, maybe? But that doesn’t really explain the break-in.
My current pet theory is some deep dark family secret, which I decided on sometime in the night after I’d woken up from dreams I couldn’t remember, but that left me feeling deeply confused, like I’m missing something big.
“Nothing was taken, as far as I can tell,” says Nic. “I have reason to believe this might be personal, but please, don’t worry. I’ve hired Finn as additional security, just to be on the safe side. The building security staff has also been put on alert. I don’t think we’ll have any more trouble, but I want you to know your safety is my first priority.”
Natalie blinks again, her big eyes again looking between us. The faintest hint of color appears on her cheeks. I’d give a limb to know what she’s thinking right now.
“I appreciate that,” she says. She frowns at Nic. “You said it’s personal.”
Nic looks back at her, steady, impassive. I guess they don’t do “personal” here. Good for Nic; better for me. If I worked with this woman every day, I’d be doing personal on every surface in the office.
A vision of the pair of them in a clinch, her skirt rucked up around her hips, his belt open, going at it hard and hot on that desk flashes before my eyes before I can block it, and I shove my hands in my pockets to cover my reaction. The action draws attention from them both.
I’m not a creep. I’m not going to harass the woman while she’s working, for God’s sake. But damn, if the thought of somebody getting busy on that wide desk doesn’t do it for me more than anything has in a long time. The fantasy would make any man hard.
If it’s weird I pictured her with Nic instead of with me, well, I’ll think about it later. Or never. Never works, too.
Whatever that wall is between them, it holds up even though Natalie is clearly asking what Nic meant by “personal,” and she turns back to her desk.
“How does this work?” she asks, aiming the question at both of us. “Do I need to find you a desk, Finn? Or should I say, Mr. Hale?”
My dick twitches at that. Knock it off.
“That’s not necessary, Ms. Casteel,” I say, grinning and winking when she looks back at me. “But I’d like to see the rest of the office, if you don’t mind.”
Nic holds out a hand toward the open door leading to his private office. It’s spacious enough, roomy, without being overlarge. Big desk, comfy client chairs. One of those leather couches that looks like it’s got a million buttons all over it. I always liked the look of them. Chesterfield, maybe. My fingers graze the leather; it’s the real deal. This close, I can smell it.
