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He paused. “I can assure you that Deacon will, in no way, treat you how Victor did. But if, for any reason, you are uncomfortable or you feel disrespected, I want to be clear that you can share this information with me. All right?”
“Yes, Mr. Wright,” I said.
He continued to stare at me, and I squirmed under the intensity of his gaze. “I mean what I say, Riley. I will not allow you to be in another situation like you were with Victor.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate that, Mr. Wright.”
He nodded. “Again, I can assure you that Deacon won’t -”
There was a knock on his door, and Farah poked her head in. “Aiden, Mr. Cross is here.”
“Perfect timing.” Aiden and I stood. “Send him in, Farah.”
I took a deep breath, staring out the window behind Aiden’s desk as he walked around it. “Deacon, good to see you again. I want to introduce you to your PA, Riley Gates.”
With a polite smile, I turned around, my hand outstretched. “Mr. Cross, it’s nice to…”
The words died in my throat. I stared mutely at the man before me, at those familiar brown eyes that perfectly mirrored my shock. My gaze dropped to the hand he held out to me. Those long, blunt fingers that had been inside of me and knew exactly how to make me come.
I became aware of two things at once. Mr. Steele - Deacon, his name is Deacon - and I stood in front of each other, our hands held out limply, and Aiden was staring at us, a small frown creasing his forehead.
“Is there something wrong?” Aiden asked.
Panic in my belly, I grabbed Deacon’s hand and shook it firmly. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Cross.”
“Call me Deacon,” he said, his voice faint and not at all the confident timbre I was used to.
“I’m Riley,” I said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
You already said that!
“You as well,” Deacon said.
Seemingly recovering better than me, he turned to Aiden and gave him a more natural smile than mine. “Sorry, I’m late. My flight was delayed.”
“It’s not a problem,” Aiden said. “But I had Riley book us a reservation for lunch with Richard and a few key finance department members, which we’ll be late for if we don’t get moving. Riley, no problems with the booking, I assume?”
“No, Mr. Wright,” I said.
“Good.” Aiden clapped Deacon on the back. “Let’s head for lunch. You and Richard can meet this afternoon.”
“Sounds good,” Deacon said. He glanced at me, and Aiden followed his gaze.
“Is there something else, Riley?” Aiden asked.
Blushing, I shook my head and made a beeline for the door. “No, Mr. Wright. Enjoy your lunch.”
* * *
“He’s your new boss. For real, real.” Ella stared at me from my phone screen. Her blonde hair stuck up everywhere, and she leaned against her headboard before yawning widely. “Small world.”
“Small world,” I squeaked, turning Marvin’s heater to high. “I am freaking the fuck out, and all you can say is small world, Ella?”
She laughed and squinted at her nightstand. “Give me a break, girl. It’s two in the morning here, and I was sound asleep. I need a minute to process.”
“Shit, I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t even think of the time difference. I shouldn’t have called you. Go back to bed. I’ll email you instead.”
She laughed again. “I’m already awake, you dork. How badly did you freak out when you saw him in the office?”
